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10 Things I Hate About You
Buena Vista Pictures

10 Things I Hate About You reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 70 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.0 out of 10
based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 27 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for crude sex-related humor and dialogue, alcohol and drug-related scenes, all involving teens

Starring Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, and Gabrielle Union

A re-telling of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," set in a modern-day Seattle high school.


GENRE(S): Romance  
WRITTEN BY: Karen McCullah Lutz
Kirsten Smith
William Shakespeare (play The Taming of the Shrew)
 
DIRECTED BY: Gil Junger  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: October 12, 1999 
Theatrical: March 31, 1999 
RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Washington Post Stephen Hunter
It's a celebration of young American women, finding them smarter, tougher, shrewder, more rigorous, more persistent and more honest than any movie in many a moon.
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100
New Times (L.A.) Hal Hinson
A small-scale, slight undertaking, but its pleasures are unexpectedly rich. It has become a habit in our movies to portray the exploits of high school characters as shocking and depraved. Ten Things allows its teenagers their innocence and a quality that is even rarer these days, something like nobility.
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100
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Lutz's dialogue is consistently sharp and snappy, and the large cast forms a sparkling ensemble under Junger's adept direction.
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90
LA Weekly John Patterson
It goes straight to the top of the class. O can there be such a thing as too keen a guilty pleasure, particularly when the whole genre is knowingly pitched to audiences as a trashophile's delight? No, there cannot.
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90
Film.com Sean Means
Kat's English assignment, which provides the movie's title, is a sweet finish to an entertaining movie -- and makes 10 Things I Hate About You quite likable.
80
Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith's script has its witty moments, and some of the secondary characters--such as Larry Miller as the father and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as an irritable teacher--are every bit as quirky as the leads.
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80
Film Threat Ron Wells
Of all the teen films released this year, this one is, by far, the best.
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80
Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams
What really elevates it, though, is the film's sharp wit and tender heart, both of which are conveyed beautifully by the fresh-faced cast.
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80
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Immensely likable.
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80
Newsweek Alisha Davis
Pure formula. But thanks to charming performances, particularly from its two stars, the winsome Stiles and a hunky Heath, it gets the recipe right, and the result is surprisingly sweet.
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75
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
The film's crank-case snappishness doesn't break any molds, but it certainly gives you a lift.
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75
ReelViews James Berardinelli
What sets this apart from its many competitors for teen dollars is that not only does the movie feature a surprisingly edgy and intelligent script, but it offers a group of characters capable of holding an audience's interest for more than 90 minutes.
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75
Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan
A mostly charming comedy that could probably win over even the crustiest English literature professor. [31 Mar 1999]
70
Village Voice Justine Elias
Anyone who hates '80s pop will find this movie awfully tiresome, but Stiles and her underage Petruchio (Australian actor Heath Ledger, as hunky as his name) are charismatic and bold enough to carry any romantic comedy.
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70
The New Yorker Ken Marks
First-time feature director Gil Junger gets a lot of laughs in the long setup, but the story eventually reverts to an almost typical high-school romance. Not quite "Clueless."
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67
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Junger has a deft touch with light comedy such as this; he manages to keep the film's convoluted plot spinning without resorting to too much gimmickry or descending to the level of so many teen comedies.
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63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
With her high forehead, pale eyebrows and solemn face, Stiles could have understudied Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth -- another dignified smart girl surrounded by conniving idiots.
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63
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
And yet ... gee, the movie is charming, despite its exhausted wheeze of an ancient recycled plot idea.
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60
Variety Dennis Harvey
10 Things doesn't take much time before ditching its pitch idea in favor of a mishmash of newer formulas, never quite settling on a cogent game plan or directorial tone.
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60
The New York Times Stephen Holden
If it's all very clever for a teen-age film, it also feels terribly forced.
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60
Film.com John Hartl
Unfailingly energetic, 10 Things is like a puppy that can't stop wagging its tail, begging for attention...Even more than "Cruel Intentions," this movie plays like an awkward high-school production of a classic.
50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Junger spins hilariously written scenes with split-second timing, although the story sags during its long middle portion.
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50
San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris
The movie's afraid of [Stiles], turning Kat from riot grrrrl to Solid Gold dancer in the time it takes to drop one Notorious B.I.G. song at that house party - which is why it's the Spam of processed teen movies.
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50
USA Today Susan Wloszczyna
While the attractive cast is willing, the translation into '90s teen culture is weak -- like a clueless adult's notion of cool.
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50
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
This teen-oriented gloss on Shakespeare's tale is cute and occasionally quite funny, but it's undermined by slack direction.
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25
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
It wimped out by blanding down the story and the characters to the point where she isn't really a shrew and he isn't really a maniac.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Helen gave it a10:
Love the film, but agree with the San Francisco Chronicles review, the charachters change far to much and it just seems to unrealistic. still a great film!

Spencer D. gave it an8:
What Brings It Up: Simply put, it's funny. What Brings It Down: Like most teen movies, it's kind of a silly plot. Overall, I'm not too fond of the teen genre, but this film sets an example that other ten films should strive to achieve.

Alice M. gave it a10:
Relates to children of this era and tells them the story of Taming of the Shrew in a modern world. If Shakespeare was here today he would of approved most probably!

Kaye C. gave it a9:
It was funny and not bad for a chick flick, I liked most of the music.

Jay B. gave it a10:
I loved the clever lines and the quirky characters. AMAZINGG!!!

Brianna C. gave it a10:
I absolutly love it!!! I saw it for the first time in english and we watched the taming of the shrew as well and its just a great, funny, modern transformation. Its really worth the watch.

G.M. D.K. gave it a9:
Funny, charming, and smartly entertaining!

Read more user comments...

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