10 Things I Hate About You (Movie)

10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger, Touchstone Pictures, 1999, 99  minutes. Rated PG:13 ASIN: B00447l4KA

Summary

Sisters Kat and Bianca Stratford couldn’t be more different.  Bianca is popular and cool, while Kat doesn't care what people think of her.  While nearly everyone wants to be friends with Bianca, everyone is scared of Kat. The only thing these two have in common is their strict dad, who insists that Bianca can only start dating when Kat does.

While it seems nobody in their right mind would date Kat, new student Cameron is determined to find somebody. He’s already fallen for Bianca and just needs to set Kat up with somebody who isn’t afraid of her.  All around bad boy and delinquent Patrick Verona is just the person for the job: that is, if Cameron can convince him to date Kat.  After some incentive from popular Joey—who also wants to date Bianca—Patrick begins his mission to seduce and date Kat.  But just when everything looks like it’s going according to plan, Kat and Patrick start having real feelings for each other. 

Critical Evaluation

“10 Things I Hate About You” is a classic teen comedy that’s still popular even fifteen years after its release. All of the actors do a great job throughout the movie with their comedic timing and unique personalities. Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are all memorable in their roles and even vain and arrogant Joey (played by Andrew Keegan) is fun to watch. Most of the actors were in their late teens or early twenties when the movie was produced, which makes it easy for the audience to vision them as real teens.

The relationship between the sisters and their father is nicely done, with enough sweet moments to balance out all the jokes.  While there is a lot of sex-related jokes and dialogue, the film would be perfect for older teens. Even though some modern teens may see the music and outfits in the film as outdated, the film itself is still hilarious and fun to watch.

Reader’s Annotation

Cameron has only one thing standing in his way of dating his dream girl: finding a date for her abrasive, opinionated older sister.

About the Director

“Gil Junger began his career as a production assistant at Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions, where he worked for over 21 years. Within a year, Junger became the editor of the hit series Soap, a position he held for 5 years. After running post-production, Junger began producing numerous television series for the company, including long-running hit shows Soap, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Blossom, Benson, It’s A Living among others. During his tenure as a producer at Witt-Thomas, Junger was a vital member in the production of 20 pilots and over 400 episodes of Network Television. The company remains one of the most profitable television companies of all time.
After leaving Witt-Thomas, Junger focused on directing and producing. He garnered many awards for his work on such hit television shows as Dharma And Greg, Hot In Cleveland, 8 Simple Rules, According To Jim, Greek, Kyle X-Y and Ellen.  Notably, Junger received multiple nominations, Emmy and Directors Guild plus critical acclaim for Ellen’s “Coming Out Episode.” Junger has produced/directed dozens of pilots, 5 Television movies and 3 feature films, including the hit teen film 10 Things I Hate About You and Black Knight, starring Martin Lawrence. During his development deal with Disney, he set up 4 television projects in his first year.
He currently resides in Topanga California, has two sons Ben (12) and Will (8). He is an avid photographer, woodworker, surfer and by his own account, a mediocre musician.”
(Gil Junger. Retrieved November 21^st, 2014 from http://novafilmhouse.com/about-us/team/gil-junger/)

Genres

Movies

Comedy

Classics

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Booktalking Ideas

N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age

15+

Grades 9+

Challenge Issues

Alcohol and drug-related scenes

Language

Sex-related dialogue and jokes

Defense File

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2—Listen to challenges and complaints openly and without judgment. Allow the patron to express their thoughts without inputting your own.

3—Have patron fill out reconsideration form. Provide information and background on challenge material’s author and title.  Forward reconsideration form to appropriate supervisors.

PPLD’s Challenge Materials Policy: http://ppld.org/challenged-materials-policy

PPLD’s Collection Development Policy: http://ppld.org/collection-development-policy

Why Included?

I included  this movie because it’s one of my personal favorites and a classic. The acting is wonderful, the jokes are hilarious, and it’s a movie that teens today would still enjoy.