At Padua High, Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the new kid in school and quickly falls for Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) the first time he sees her. Bianca can’t date, though, until her older sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. The problem? Kat is adamantly feminist and intellectual, refusing to give into the societal pressures of her age group. With his friend Michael (David Krumholtz), Cameron comes up with a plan: get Kat together with local bad boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), who just returned to school after a mysterious year away.

CRITIQUE

Sometimes it takes a while before the true appeal of a film can be felt. Even just a decade can be enough to show if a movie will truly stand the test of time, and this is particularly true of films set in high school. As another group of people enter that age bracket and begin to turn their sights on past movies, the ones they like will begin to become the classics of the genre. This is one of those films: 10 Things I Hate About You is thoroughly funny and sweetly romantic, and the talented cast revels in the well-written script.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: the actors are wonderful. Though Heath Ledger is inevitably singled out -- and rightly so, as the effortless masculine charm he imbues Patrick with was only the most conspicuous part of a deep ability -- the others earn praise as well. Julia Stiles is perfectly cast, while almost all the other major cast members have gone on to strong careers like her. The supporting cast, especially those playing the teachers, like Alison Janney, are hilarious, each one a deft little comedic gem.

Make no mistake, though: much of the laughs were present in the script to begin with. The memorable lines are way too many to list and they manage to include one of the best public serenades on screen. Writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith also have a keen ear for truth in teen dialogue and they also weren’t afraid to push the envelope. The drinking and smoking that goes on here, for instance, probably wouldn’t pass the ratings board with a PG-13 nowadays. Although the conceit of the bet that’s made in the story smacks of formula, the rest of this screenplay more than makes up for it.

Can you believe I’ve left the romance for last? Very little of the interaction between Cameron and Bianca is cloying and even less so between Kat and Patrick, and yet the pairings are utterly believable and completely sweet. The talented actors in 10 Things I Hate About You only enhance the superbly effective comedy and romance of the script.

THE VIDEO

The widescreen transfer from the theatrical print is pristine.

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and it is as reliable as it usually is for a film with an eclectic soundtrack like this one. French and Spanish language tracks are offered, while there are also subtitles for all three languages.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary: Writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith join with cast members David Krumholtz, Keegan, Lisa Oleynik, and Susan May Pratt for a track. Since there are so many of them, there is a real fun feel to this track-- it feels like the reunion of a really cool family. It’s so cute to hear Oleynik cop to a crush on Keegan after seeing him in Camp Nowhere before working with him, and Pratt reveals that Krumholtz asked permission to French kiss her during their kissing scene, leading to lots of laughs! There is a long poignant section of the track, though, as they all talk about Heath. This is an excellent extra.

10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You 10 Years Later: Writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith and director Gil Junger provide new interviews to go along with the on-set interviews with the cast, on-set footage, and deleted scenes that make up this 35-minute featurette. This is structured like a “10 Things” list, covering things like “The Cast” and “The Music.” Hearing from the writers of films is always nice, and Lutz and Smith deliver great anecdotes about their inspirations and things like their first meeting with Heath. Junger’s praise of the cast is nice, too, with the discussion of Heath Ledger (including audition footage!) taking on a bittersweet tone. Best of all may be the plethora of deleted scenes we get near the end-- many featuring Junger having fun in a role for himself. These are quite funny themselves, and the fact that they’re deleted says a lot about how much humor is in the actual film.

Deleted Scenes: These are actually included in the feature above.

FINAL THOUGHTS