Roll-M: 10 Things I Hate About You

by Susan Sackett

10 Things I Hate About You (starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik; written by Karen Lutz and Kirsten Smith; directed by Gil Junger; rated PG-13).

Too bad William Shakespeare doesn’t have any surviving heirs; they’d be making a fortune in residuals. The Bard is hot these days. Not only is Shakespeare in love, but Hollywood seems to be in love with all things Shakespearean, even if that includes bastardizing his work. Recently we had Romeo + Juliet in modern dress. Other play adaptations about to hit the big screen are A Midsummer Night’s Dream¸ Love’s Labours Lost, Titus Andronicus, and probably lots more.

This month we have 10 Things I Hate About You. It’s based on The Taming of the Shrew, and it’s definitely derivative. If you’re looking for classic Shakespeare, rent the Taylor-Burton version. Or the musical play-within-a-play, Kiss Me Kate. But if you’re in high school, or have sophisticated teens, this might be a good introduction to the Bard of Avon.

There’s a cast of mostly unknowns, perhaps the future Brat Pack of tomorrow, in the familiar Shrew roles. We have Kat Stratford (as in Katarina, or Kate, and Will S.’s hometown), a brainy high schooler who’s totally uninterested in dating. Her young sis, Bianca, would like to date, but her dad refuses to allow her out until big sis Kat gets a date. They all attend Padua High School, where Kat’s potential boy friend is named Patrick Verona – there are lots of these not-so-subtle references to the original play. Larry Miller is a delight as the single parent trying to protect his teenage daughters from impending pregnancy. He does everything but issue chastity belts, and the writing is top-notch whenever he’s on screen.

The young actors are all okay in their parts, there are some light moments, but the movie’s target audience of teens may or may not take to it.

TWO AND A HALF OWLS (out of five)