10 Things I Hate About You
Director: Gil Junger
Year Released: 1999
Rating: 2.5
Ah, yes, the "teen movie." There have been so many of them lately - too many to count - and only some of them are passable. Technically, this isn't that bad - occasionally very funny, witty and well acted (especially by Julia Stiles, who plays Kat). It's also (here comes the avalanche of negatives) stereotypical (the nerds are pathetically dweeb-like, the 'in-people' use too much gel, the 'outcasts' drink beer and smoke, etc.) completely predictable and, at times, painfully sophomoric and amateurish (the dialogue is spotty - one minute, there's a smart joke delivered by one of the characters, the next, someone's saying "whatever" or "you dork" or something to that extent). It's a shame, really, because some of the scenes carry a lot of truth behind them, and a lot of the emotions conveyed seem to be genuine. I wish the film would have led someplace different than the required "prom scene" third act that's a staple of all teen films. Is that like, the culmination of our high-school careers or is it some sort of magical door in which uncomfortable, awkward virgins all of a sudden become transformed into smooth, enlightened adults? Also, what's with the wall-to-wall music?
