Friday 20 January 2012

Revisiting Films: 10 Things I Hate About You

I have loved this film for the longest time and, in fact, I've just remembered that I actually saw it when it first came out in the cinema; when I was a mere ten years old, scandalously sneaked in by my parents. And now I'm actually thinking that my parents are kind of cool... (this has never happened before!) Anyway, I've gone through loving, at various times, Joseph Gordon Levitt who, may I say, whilst always adorable, has blossomed even more of late; and then Heath Ledger who, obviously, I can't discuss at all because doing so will make me way too sad.* One love that has been constant though is my deep and unbreakable love for Kat, who taught me how to be awesome, and probably also made me want to read The Bell Jar quite a lot. 10 Things, you rock my world.

Even though I didn't think I could love it any more, actually reading The Taming of the Shrew made me appreciate what a great film we actually have in the shape of 10 Things. It's the way Shakespeare's play really should have gone, if you ask me- slightly too angry girl meets a boy who's just like her, and in getting to know each other and falling in love, they are both tamed, although they remain themselves entirely and NO ONE GETS TORTURED. And also, you have things like this:
Oh, Heath!

I think we all know just how awesome Kat and Patrick are, just in general, but can we also talk about the soundtrack, because I think it's awesome. Like, I literally can't think of a bad song on it and it constantly bugs me that I don't have it because it's not on itunes and it's really expensive (for a cd) on amazon. But the point is, anyway, that it's great, and it's much better than my imaginary soundtrack to the Shakespeare play, which basically consists of, I don't know, the funeral march, and also all the bad songs.

I also love the whole Bianca and Cameron story. Even though it's awful when Bianca thinks that she fancies Joey even though he's an absolute shit, it all works out ok, and the lovely Cameron gets what he wants, even if he deserves better than Bianca, which he clearly does. Or at least the Bianca at the beginning of the film. Because, and this is yet another reason the film is better than the play, because whilst in the play, Bianca fully conforms and is seen as the much more desirable wife; in 10 Things, her conformity is seen as a bad thing (I assume by everyone who sees it too...) because it makes her silly and shallow, and it is only towards the end, when she becomes more like Kat that we have respect for her and feel like she's the kind of woman Cameron deserves.

There are just so many things that make 10 Things I Hate About You so amazing- a criminally underused Allison Janney (have I ever gone into how much I love her? Because I love her SO MUCH!), Cameron's instant best friend Michael, who is generally just sweet and funny and his girlfriend scoring without any drama makes me so happy, and Kat and Bianca's dad whose overprotectiveness has been brought bang up to date by making him an obstetrician who basically doesn't want either of his  daughters to get pregnant, which sounds sane enough, but the way he does it, it's not so much, and it's therefore HILARIOUS. I honestly can't think of a good reason why anyone wouldn't love this film, because there's just so much to love! Especially, may I just add, the torture of two people who really don't understand, or much like each other, living in the same house:
"Bianca: Where do you come from, Planet Loser?
Kat: As opposed to Planet Look at Me, Look at Me?"
And just, you know, the entire film is so damn quotable! I've gotten to the stage where I can almost recite it word for word (I basically can with Grease because I've seen it way, way too many times) which is probably not a good thing, only it is because, and I'll say it again, THIS FILM IS SO GOOD! It really is.

So, I'm sure that big gushfest was really helpful and instructional, and told you many things you didn't already know about 10 Things I Hate About You.** This post, on HelloGiggles, whilst maybe a teeny bit overlong, is also very good at helping one remember all of its highlights (i.e. the entire film) and brings a certain amount of nostalgia that may or may not have contributed to my watching of this film (that, plus Shakespeare month!) And, finally, I know I say this all the time, but really really really- if you haven't seen this film, you're really missing something special, and, let's face it, amazing. Go! Watch! You can see things like this:
Poetry! And crying! And Kat softening up but still retaining her own self and NOT being tortured! What more could you want?!

*Did you know that on Sunday it'll be 4 years since he died?! Crazy!
**An actual fact I do know is that Joseph Gordon Levitt and Larisa Oleynik used to go out in real life, and they were in Third Rock From The Sun together- it actually makes me sad that Larisa isn't really in things anymore, because I used to love all the things she was in- this, as well as The Secret World of Alex Mack and The Babysitters Club Movie!

18 comments:

  1. Woah you saw in in the cinema? I didn't even know of it then! But that might because I didn't have a big sister to make me aware of older stuff.

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  2. I'm fairly certain we went to see this at the cinema, as like a summer holiday 'lets go and see what's on!' thing, but it may have been something else that was equally naughty for me to see, it being a 12 and all! But I doubt it was Charlottes decision because she's not that cool!

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  3. Oh my gosh this was totally one of my favorite movies when I was a teenager! THE CRYING POEM! And yes the Taming of the Shrew is one of my all-time favorite Shakespeare because I read it after I saw the movie and the whole play just felt that much more accessible.

    We must have been the same person when we were younger because I also loved Alex Mac and ALL THINGS Babysitter's Club.

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    1. When you were a teenager?! It's still one of my favourites! Yay to Alex Mack and The Babysitters Club! God, I read those books so so so much!

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  4. Love this movie! And yes, it improves on the Taming plot by leaving out all of the torture and spirit-breaking and misogyny. I especially love Kat and the fact that while they get her to calm down a bit, she's still herself at the end. Also Heath's singing. And Allison Janney. OK, I guess what I means is "I especially love all of it".

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    1. I especially love all of it too! Like, really, it's the best! HEATH!

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  5. This movie is amazing. It was definitely one of my favorite movies when I was a teen, and it's probably the first time I realized how much I like angry girl humor. Kat's snarkyness is awesome, and Heath was super good-looking, and the whole movie just makes me happy.

    You know, I don't think my bf has ever seen this... I think I need to get him to sit down & watch it with me.

    Oh, and I miss Alex Mack :( What a great show!

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    1. Omg, you so need to get your bf to watch it- and everyone you know! I love love love Kat so much!

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  6. "What's the difference between like and love? I mean, I LIKE my Skechers, but I LOVE my Prada backpack."

    "Well, I love MY Skechers."

    "That's because you don't HAVE a Prada backpack."

    I swear I didn't look that up. I just have that floating around in my head. Also, SKECHERS used to be cool! Oh, '90s...you so silly.

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  7. "I know you've thought about me naked"

    "*gasp* Am I that transparent?! I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby *eye roll*"

    Ah, Kat. I used to have Sketchers! They were AWFUL- white and pink with a giant platform because that's what The Spice Girls used to wear!

    Oh yeah, AND
    "I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

    "I think you can in Europe!" LOL

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  8. I always wanted to go paint-balling because of this film. Then I went and there was no giggling and paint splattered overalls and Heath Ledgers but plenty of bruises from the paint balls!

    I love this film so much. I remember being really jealous in year 8 because my bestfriend's older sister and her best-friend had made their grad/formal dresses to mimic the two dresses in the film!

    So many memories, so many great lines, so much handsome Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt!

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    1. Oh and I saw Larisa Oleynik in a TV show the other day, CSI/NCIS/The Good Wife, one of those type cameo parts. She looked so much older, it was really weird, but I was glad to see her!

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    2. I looked her up on IMDb and she's been in Mad Men, although I must have missed her (probably something to do with the quality of the video I watched it on ahem..) but I so miss her! Someone really needs to invent the kind of paintball there is in 10 Things, because that shit looks so fun! Also... which of the girls picked the short straw and had to wear Bianca's pink monstrosity?!

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    3. I can't remember, I'm pretty sure my friend's sister got to wear Kat's dress. If I remember correctly, the one who wore the Bianca dress ended up making the skirt a little shorter which made it look a lot less 90s and weird!

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    4. Susan May Pratt was on Mad Men, and I was like, ahhhh 10 Things I Hate About You and Center Stage! It was crazy.

      (I found your blog through Alice's book blog, by the way. I don't have a book blog, but hello!)

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    5. Hi Anne! Glad to have you here! I missed both those women in Mad Men, which makes me sad because I love them (and, you know, anyone involved in that movie). Sad times!

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  9. I love this movie! I actually just recently discovered that it was an adaptation to Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. I think the director and writers did a really good job changing the plot and adapting the play to a high school girl audience. It definitely brings a more modern light to the play and makes it easier to connect to for high school kids. :)

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    1. They did such a good job in changing the plot so it didn't make me want to puke, anyway!

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