The year 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of “10 Things I Hate About You,” the quintessential 1990s romantic comedy with a star-studded cast including Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As a self-proclaimed rom-com connoisseur, I highly recommend this movie to everyone. It takes your typical rom-com and warmly satirizes the genre to create a movie that any viewer will appreciate.
The movie follows two teenage sisters, Kat (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larissa Olyenik), throughout their romantic trials, in a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” As in most rom-coms, stereotypes pervade the plot. Kat is the archetypal rebel: she scowls, wears black and blares Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” in a beat-up car. Meanwhile, Bianca is the princess of the sophomore class, dawning an adorable sundress as she catches the eyes of both new student Cameron (Gordon-Levitt) and senior Joey (Andrew Keegan). As one might expect, the sisters’ differences create some antagonism. Kat often mocks Bianca for her cookie-cutter ways, while Bianca disdains her sister’s desire to stand out.
If these were the extent of the stereotypes, there wouldn’t be much to discuss in “10 Things.” If you want to watch another black cat — ironically named Kat — fall in love, watch “She’s All That.” If you want to watch a different school’s Queen Bee — Bianca — find her unlikely match, watch “Clueless."
But “10 Things I Hate About You” amplifies the stereotypes to the point of ridiculousness. When Cameron tours his new school, his guide and soon-to-be best friend Michael (David Krumholtz) — and, predictably, object of comedic relief — bluntly introduces him to the school’s cliques. The labels start typically enough — “AV Geeks” and “Basic Beautiful People,” to name a few — but quickly take a turn. The school doesn’t just have jocks and nerds, but also hilariously obscure groups, like the Future MBAs — for us Duke students, this preppy, nerdy bunch may hit close to home — and the Urban Cowboys, who frequently lasso immobile objects.
“10 Things I Hate About You” doesn’t shy away from perceptions of the rom-com genre. The movie embraces them, before adding a twist of tongue-in-cheek humor.
The movie’s plot structure resembles others of the 1990s rom-com era: two white, heterosexual, upper middle class and conventionally attractive teenagers fall in love, despite the odds! However, there are several key differences that allow the movie to stand out.
For one, Kat is somewhat different from the typical 1990s rom-com protagonist. She remains true to herself, even though it often conflicts with the social standard. Queen Bee protagonists like Elle Woods already “fit in” with her peers, while outcasts like Samantha Baker strive to fit in, changing themselves until they do.
Kat, however, is widely disliked by the school for making her controversial opinions known. In English class, for instance, she causes a scene by demanding more female authors be included in the curriculum (while the class rolls their eyes). Even the guidance counselor deems her a “heinous bitch.” Kat continues to be disliked by the end of the film, facing heckles while presenting a dramatic poetry assignment in front of the class.
Although we should perhaps not strive to be labeled as “heinous bitch[es]” ourselves (but, of course, to each their own), we can learn from Kat’s remarkable courage to stand by her convictions. There was no “Princess Diaries”-esque makeover, no drastic personality switch like in “She’s All That.” She didn’t change herself to fit in or fall in love, and I find that admirable.
The love interests are worthy of note as well. Male love interests in rom-coms tend to be the “popular guy,” from Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) of “Sixteen Candles” (1984) to Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) in Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” franchise. In contrast, Cameron is nerdy; he wears a blazer and button-down to a rager in one scene. Kat’s love interest, Patrick (Ledger), is a fellow outcast feared by most of the school. Rumors about him include his selling his liver on the black market and lighting a state trooper on fire. Indeed, the only “popular guy” in the movie — Joey — ends up with a broken nose, courtesy of the very girl he was vying for. To me, this shows that Bianca and Kat ended up not with some generic “Mr. Right,” but a person that was right for them.
Cheesy? Perhaps. But it is a rom-com, after all. Cut them a little slack.
“10 Things I Hate About You” has charmed audiences for the last twenty-five years because of its campy humor, loveable and strong female protagonists and the nostalgia it evokes for the romantic comedy genre as a whole. The film takes what we love about rom-coms — adorable romance, relatable characters and (of course) witty banter — and subverts what we don’t — passive female characters, patriarchal values and overused plotlines. Like all rom-coms, it is inherently cheesy and predictable, but, if you don’t mind that, I think it is well worth a watch.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.