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Film Probe

#80 | Teen rom-com, 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) is a beautiful and hilariously executed teen comedy which depicts the highs and lows of high school and first loves.


Displaying a group of dysfunctional teens of the late 90s, this movie is a blast from the past and is easily regarded as a classic teen rom-com. Romantic comedies have started to decline in quality recently, Netflix are churning out films as a fast pace and aren't delivering in genuine comedy or execution. Recently, quantity has been prioritised over quality and that makes me sad, I often go back to movies like this to remind myself of real teen movies and the potential for the genre.


The story of 10 Thing I Hate About You (1999) follows a group of actors in their youth who all went on to have successful careers, including the late Heath Ledger who was a stand out in this feature from beginning to end, his character is easily regarded as the core of the movie. A high-school boy, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), cannot date Bianca until her anti-social older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), has a boyfriend. So, Cameron pays a mysterious boy, Patrick (Heath Ledger), to charm Kat. The narrative is somewhat complex but brilliantly pieced together, at its core it is a ridiculous story which eventually falls apart but the build up and intelligent curation of the 'plan' is enjoyable and unforgatteble.


Every character has their own unique lovability and original storyline which makes when their paths cross even funnier, as each story plays out all the characters are intertwined with one another and affect each others goals without realising. This is a timeless classic that I highly recommend for any 90s fan.


Overall, 10 Thing I Hate About You (1999) was one of the first teenage romance comedies I watched and completely fell in love with. I fell in love with the characters, the story and the ending.

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