At Padua High, spectacularly situated above Seattle Harbor, the mostly rich kids are generally more interested in sex than education – except for Kat (Julia Stiles). The beautiful 18-year-old is more interested in Sylvia Plath than in dating, prefers intellectual discussion to keeping company with libidinous boys. And that's a problem for Kat's younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) – her strict single dad, who has old fashioned ideas about how to raise daughters, won't let Bianca date unless Kat does. So the boys who fancy Bianca have first to find someone willing to date Kat – they settle on Aussie-raised bad boy Patrick Verona, Heath Ledger, who has an awesome reputation but who might just be the one to tame the shrewish Kat – does this start to sound familiar?
there's plenty of wit and some fine performances
American high school comedies are much of a muchness, but this one, following the lead of Clueless, which was based on Jane Austen's Emma, attempts the even trickier idea of modernising Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Needless to say, what was true for sexual relationships in the 16th Century isn't true today, and the basic contrivance of the piece – the strictness of the girl's father, amusingly played by Larry Miller – is a difficult hurdle to overcome. So it's much to the credit of first-time feature director Gil Junger and his terrific cast that 10 Things is so enjoyable; there's plenty of wit and some fine performances to enjoy here, notably Heath Ledger in the key role of the tamer of the shrew.
Margaret's Comments: I'm getting a bit sick of American movies about well-to-do prom queens and the boys they hanker after. This latest may think it draws inspiration from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew but all it does is make heavy allusions to it – the Stratford sisters at Padua High, Kat and Bianca, have a problem with dating – Kat doesn't fancy it and Bianca isn't allowed to until Kat does. Enter Patrick, the rumoured bad boy who's bribed by two boys who fancy Bianca to date Kat. It's so predictable, and the shame is that Kat is actually quite an interesting screen creation, she's mad as hell at the world and you want to know why. I can't believe that one sexual encounter was the reason for her whole attitude. But with this film maybe I can.
Margaret's Comments: I'm getting a bit sick of American movies about well-to-do prom queens and the boys they hanker after. This latest may think it draws inspiration from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew but all it does is make heavy allusions to it – the Stratford sisters at Padua High, Kat and Bianca, have a problem with dating – Kat doesn't fancy it and Bianca isn't allowed to until Kat does. Enter Patrick, the rumoured bad boy who's bribed by two boys who fancy Bianca to date Kat. It's so predictable, and the shame is that Kat is actually quite an interesting screen creation, she's mad as hell at the world and you want to know why. I can't believe that one sexual encounter was the reason for her whole attitude. But with this film maybe I can.
What some people may see as the highlight – Australian actor Heath Ledger singing his heart out over the school PA system to declare his devotion – I found embarrassing. The two young actors Julia Stiles and and Larisa Oleynik are quite charming, and their beleaguered obstetrician father is quite funny as played by Larry Miller. Uninspiring direction from Gil Unger fails to elevate this teen pleaser beyond that status.
