Director: Gil Junger
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
‘A Captivating Coming-of-Age Classic’
Few actors in Hollywood have had a career as tragic as Heath Ledger. Ever since his rise to stardom during the 1990’s, Ledger appeared to be an actor with a bright future in the film industry. Whether it’s comic-book characters, rebellious teenagers or medieval knights, he suggested that he could play various characters. However, in 2008 Ledger’s bold career came towards a sudden closure when he died from a drug overdose disaster. Ledger’s devastating death came as a huge shock for the film industry. The world mourned the loss of a renowned actor that had made a legendary legacy in the film industry. It was easier said than done to cope with the loss of a star that had become a cinematic icon. Several years after his heartbreaking passing, Ledger has left behind a legendary legacy by creating several movies that are worth watching.
I’m a huge fan of Heath Ledger and adore all the commemorated movies he made throughout his amazing career. However, “10 Things I Hate About You” may be my favourite film. Released in 1999, Gil Junger’s groundbreaking movie offered an insightful depiction of teens seeking to survive a high school. Packed with breathtaking production-design, exhilarating storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s one of the greatest teen movies ever made. At the centre of it all is a phenomenal performance from Heath Ledger, who embodies a charismatic teenager seeking to woo a commemorated girl in high school. Ultimately, the film delivers a meaningful message about teenagers which would definitely resonate with everyone. For a film made back in the 1990’s, it has aged beautifully over time. A spellbinding classic about rebellious adolescents, there are several strong reasons why it’s a commemorated movie that’s definitely worth watching.
“10 Things I Hate About You” tells the story of teenagers seeking to survive the pressures of high school. Julie Stiles portrays Katarina Stratford, an anti-social teenage girl that doesn’t believe in the concept of love. Katarina has refused to date any boys in school which creates issues for her desperate sister. However, Katarina’s life forever changes when she falls in love with her close classmate Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger). A rebellious teenager, Patrick is a rule-breaking adolescent that couldn’t be more different from Katarina. Despite their polar opposite personalities, the two teenagers form a strong bond together. As the sparks begin to fly between the two teens, Katarina starts to enjoy her life in high school she once used to hate. As she discovers shocking secrets about Patrick, Katarina questions whether he’s the right boy for her.
Gil Junger is a newcomer towards the stories of adolescents. Before he made “10 Things I Hate About You”, Junger had never directed a coming-of-age movie before. It was Junger’s first attempt to capture the lives of teenagers seeking success in high school but he pulled it off successfully. Through bold cinematography, Junger captures a teenager embarking upon a journey to discover his identity. Junger expertly uses montages to capture the bonds between teenagers seeking to discover their identities in high school. Inspired with John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club”, Junger deftly uses montages to capture the bonds between teens seeking to discover their identity. For instance, montages elevate the stadium concert scene. During this unforgettable scene, Patrick delivers a song performance to woo over Veronica in the football stadium in front of the entire school. One admires montages capturing the bonds between teenagers falling in love. Montages are tricky techniques to use in movies. As Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” suggested, montages are suited to literary adaptations. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through breathtaking visuals, Junger captures hardships commemorated teenagers go through.
Another admirable aspect of “10 Things I Hate About You” is the production-design. From a technical perspective, the film is extremely well-made. Throughout the movie, the high school is a crucial setting that showcases tensions between students. Junger’s decisions to shoot the film in real-life American high schools pays off tremendously. For instance, the backdrops of real high schools enhances the cafeteria scene. During this unforgettable scene, Cameron attempts to negotiate a deal with students to get closer to his crush Bianca. One admires the real-life high school setting showcasing the strong bonds between teenagers. Moreover, the musical score is amazing. Richard Gibbs’ period perfect music captures the mood of teenagers during the 1990’s. Through extraordinary production-design, Junger captures the bonds between teens that shine.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “10 Things I Hate About You” remains a classic teenager film that is compelling. The film is beautifully written, and effectively utilizes dramatic monologues which illustrate the romantic relationships between teenagers. Junger’s screenwriting strength is his ability to adapt a Shakespeare book to the big-screen through dramatic monologues. The film is a modern adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play “The Taming of the Shrew”. It isn’t simple to adapt a Shakespeare play on the big-screen into a modern-day setting, but Junger succeeds tremendously. Junger effectively uses dramatic monologues to capture the bonds between teenagers. For instance, the dramatic monologues enhance the 10 things list scene. During this iconic scene, Katarina lists 10 things she hates the most about Patrick in front of her entire class. Monologues are not simple techniques to use in movies. As the Coen Brothers’ “The Tragedy of Macbeth” did claim clearly, monologues elevate literary adaptations. That being said, it works immensely in this movie. Through a superb screenplay, Junger captures bonds between teenagers today.
One admires astonishing performances.
Heath Ledger delivers one of his best career performances as Patrick. Ledger is best known for playing iconic villains in comic-book films. With “10 Things I Hate About You”, however, he took on his most rebellious career role. It isn’t easy to embody a rebellious teenager falling in love during the 1990’s, but he succeeds tremendously. It’s a role that gave Ledger an opportunity to showcase his natural charisma as an actor. With strong expressions, he captures the courage, determination and rebellious nature of a teenager seeking to woo a girl under intense pressure. It’s an excellent performance from one of the world’s greatest actors. It remains a sad reminder of how great an actor Ledger was before he tragically passed away.
The supporting cast is spectacular and also worthy of appreciation. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great, capturing a teen that can’t help but fall in love that can’t get over a popular girl in school that’s hard to forget. Julia Stiles is superb, bringing charisma to a teenage girl facing a dilemma when she falls in love with a boy with a knack for melodrama. Lastly, Larisa Oleynik is exceptional. As a lovesick teenager, she brings hilarious comical relief to the movie.
Finally, everyone will be able to appreciate “10 Things I Hate About You” for its meaningful message about hardships teens go through. Unlike. most teen movies, it tackles universal themes that everyone would be able to relate to. It discusses universal themes including identity, romance and bullying which would strike a chord with everyone. Viewers aren’t required to have grown up in the 1990’s to appreciate the movie. For a movie made in the 1990’s, it is not at all outdated with a message that remains relevant to modern teens today. Therefore, “10 Things I Hate About You” is one of those rare teen movies everyone would value.
Fans of Heath Ledger will definitely appreciate “10 Things I Hate About You” and so will movie-goers seeking meaningful entertainment. A captivating teen classic, it celebrates a fantastic actor that created a legacy which was iconic.
Nearly 30 years following the release of a groundbreaking film about soul-searching teenagers listing 10 things that they hate about each other that are perplexing, it’s a riveting reminder of an actor that built a lasting legacy by portraying compelling characters in timeless movies that are definitely worth celebrating without a doubt several years after his devastating death that was a huge shock for the film industry left the world mourning.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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