Another teen movie...Not

Back from a great vacation/work trip, no longer fighting jet lag and with nothing interesting to watch on TV, I sat cross-legged on my couch to browse through my list of Instant Netflix movies to select one worth the next 2 hours of my time. I stopped at 10 Things I Hate About You - I had watched this flick a long long time ago and now with the introduction of a new series on TV based on this movie, I decided to give it a second watch. And I'm glad I did :)

The movie essentially starts with the entrance of new student Cameron (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I've loved since his '3rd Rock from the Sun' days) to the same school attended by sisters Kat and Bianca Stratford (played by Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik). As he is being given the tour of the school by AV nerd Michael (the curly-haired guy from Numbers) he notices Bianca Stratford. Cameron is smitten - it's love at first sight. However he soon finds out from Michael that Bianca is not allowed to date. Kat is shown to be sort of a hard-ass, no-nonsense girl who is not interested in boys or the prom or other trivial things. When Bianca protests to being the only girl in school that doesn't date, her dad stipulates that she can date only when her sister does. At this point, Shakespeare readers realize that this movie is a modern-day take on 'The Taming of the Shrew'. Cameron is now faced with the task of finding a guy who can take on the older Ms. Stratford. Enter Heath Ledger, playing Patrick Verona who takes on the Herculean task of asking Kat out on a date. He is persuaded to do so by way of a bet with the quintessential baddie (every romantic movie worth its salt has to have a villain in the mix), which also sets it up for a giant misunderstanding in the end before all things end well.

The dialogues are witty. The roles are essayed pretty well. Julia Stiles is perfect for the part - it's her eyes and mouth that give her the naturally snooty look. For instance, I could never imagine her in a soft, lovey-dovey romance movie, 'The Prince & Me' notwithstanding. Refreshing to see Heath Ledger in a sunny happy-go-lucky role. This movie reminded me a lot about 'Clueless' - another classic redone for modern times, but then that is another review :)

Some of the highlights of this movie:

# Alison Janey in a crazy cameo as the guidance counselor who also doubles up as a porn writer.

# Heath Ledger singing "Can't Take my Eyes off you"

# Michael to Cameron, while talking about Bianca (sarcastically): She's deep for sure.
Bianca overheard in conversation with friend (who, incidentally, is played by Gabrielle Union): Yeah but there is a difference between like and love - because I like my Sketchers but I love my Prada backpack
Her friend: But I love my Sketchers
Bianca: That's because you don't have a Prada backpack.
Friend: Oh...

# Ms. Perky to Bianca: People perceive you as somewhat...
Kat: Tempestuous?
Ms. Perky: "Heinous Bitch" is the term used most often.

#Patrick: Was that a yes?
Kat: No
Patrick: Well then, was that a No?
Kat: No

#Kat to Bianca: Bianca, wait!
Bianca: Please do not address me in public!

#Patrick to Cameron: Secondly, don't let anyone make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.