Ten Things I Hate About You

Ten Things I Hate About You is a comedy romance written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith loosely based on the William Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew and directed by Gil Junger filmed entirely in Washington D.C. during 1998 for an estimated budget of $16,000,000 and released on April 4th, 1999. Ten Things I Hate About You grossed over $38,000,000 during its United States theatre run. Ten Things I Hate About You as a whole was nominated for 12 different awards and walked away with two of them, and it became the break through role for both of the leads, Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. Julia Stiles, who portrayed Kat Strafford, won the MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance as well as the CFCA Award for Most Promising Actress in 2000. Although Heath Ledger, who portrayed Patrick Verona was nominated for two awards, he was unfortunately shut out. Ten Things I Hate About You was subsequently released on DVD on October 12th, 1999 in the United States.

Ten Things I Hate About You opens with Cameron James, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, arriving to attend Pudua High School and introduced to Michael, portrayed by David Krumholtz, another student. Michael and Cameron quickly become friends, and Michael gives Cameron the low down on the school as well as information on various other students that include Kat Strafford, Patrick Verona and Bianca Strafford, portrayed by Larisa Oleynik, whom Cameron immediately takes a liking to. Michael warns Cameron that both Stafford sisters are not allowed to date, in part because of there over cautious widower father Walter Stratford, portrayed by Larry Miller. Walter has a rule for both of his daughters...Bianca cannot date, unless Kat does so first. However, Kat is a high school outcast that is hated by her classmates and that no one wants to go out with. When Cameron is told of this rule he sets out to find someone to date her, with the assistance of Bianca, who is actually interested in dating Joey Donner, portrayed by Andrew Keegan.

Cameron calls upon Patrick Verona, who he briefly met, but who immediately shuns the idea based on her reputation. Because Joey is also interested in dating Bianca, he decides to pay Patrick to take Kat out to a house party and the prom. Much to Cameron’s dismay he figures out that Bianca never actually wanted him, but was using him so she could go out with Joey. Cameron makes the decision to call off the idea of Patrick and Kat dating, but Patrick convinces him to continue to pursue Bianca, during which she discovers that Joey is not the guy she thought he was. During the house party she asks Cameron for a ride home and Cameron tells her that he is interested in dating her, and she kisses him. Afterwards Patrick brings Kat home from the house party and they get into a fight and she lets Patrick know she will not be attending prom with him. As a result of the Stafford rule because Kat is not attending the prom, neither can Bianca but after a heart felt talk between Kat and Bianca she attends the prom with Patrick, whom she has forgiven, while she attends with Cameron. This turn of events causes Joey to become angry and he announces during the prom that it was he who paid Patrick to go out with Kat in the first place.

The next morning, Bianca thanks Kat for going to prom and apologizes for the grief she has caused her sibling. At school the next day, Kat reads her poem "Ten Things I Hate About You" out loud to her English class, and walks out immediately afterwards. Patrick approaches Kat outside of class and presents her with a gift that he bought using the money he was paid by Joey to take her out, but will she forgive him?