10 Things I Hate About You, released on March 31, 1999
On the first day at his new school, Cameron instantly falls for Bianca, the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date until her ill-tempered, completely undateable older sister Kat goes out, too. In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possibly be a match for Kat: a mysterious bad boy with a nasty reputation of his own.
10 Things I Hate About You Summary
Cameron James falls in love with Bianca Stratford, a gorgeous and popular sophomore. Geeky Michael Eckman advises him that Bianca is vacuous and egotistical and that her overprotective father forbids Bianca and her elder sister, the cunning Kat, from dating. Kat, a senior, has been admitted to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, but her father, Walter, prefers that she remain at home. Bianca wants to date wealthy senior Joey Donner, but Walter, a doctor concerned about adolescent pregnancy, won’t let his daughters date until they graduate. Walter, frustrated by Bianca’s persistence and Kat’s rebelliousness, decides that Bianca may date only when Kat does, despite the fact that Kat’s anti-social attitude renders this improbable.
When Cameron asks Bianca out, she tells him of her father’s new restriction and proposes that Cameron find someone willing to date Kat as a pretext for enabling her to date Joey. Cameron chooses “bad guy” Patrick Verona, but he is scared off by him. Michael helps by encouraging Joey to pay Patrick to take Kat out under the guise of allowing Joey to date Bianca. Patrick agrees to the terms, but Kat rejects his first approaches. Michael and Cameron assist him by questioning Bianca about Kat’s likes and dislikes. Patrick starts to pique Kat’s attention with this information. She attends a party with him, allowing Bianca to go as well, much to Walter’s chagrin.
When Kat sees Bianca with Joey at the party, she feels furious and reacts by becoming drunk. Patrick attends to her, and Kat begins to open up, explaining her desire to form a band. When she attempts to kiss him, Patrick pulls away, and Kat storms out. Meanwhile, Bianca dismisses Cameron in favor of Joey, leaving Cameron disappointed. Bianca quickly realizes that Joey is shallow and self-absorbed, and she asks Cameron for a ride home. Cameron expresses his affection for her and his displeasure with how she has treated him. Bianca reacts with a kiss.
Joey offers to pay Patrick to transport Kat to the prom so that he may accompany Bianca. Patrick first declines, but changes his mind once Joey gives him more money. Kat is still upset with Patrick, but he wins her over by serenading her with the marching band, and she assists him in sneaking out of incarceration. They embark on a lovely date, but Kat grows suspicious and outraged when Patrick insists on taking her to the prom, something she strongly opposes. Bianca is annoyed that Cameron hasn’t invited her to the prom, so she accepts Joey’s offer, but Walter won’t let her attend until Kat also goes. Kat admits to Bianca that she dated Joey as a freshman and had sex with him due to social pressure. She later regretted it, and Joey left her, so she decided never to do something again simply because everyone else was doing it. Bianca insists on making her own decisions, so Kat agrees to attend the prom with Patrick, and Bianca chooses Cameron over Joey.
Everything is going swimmingly at the prom until Bianca discovers that Joey has plans to have sex with her that night. Joey, enraged that Bianca has rejected him in favor of Cameron, confesses his agreement with Patrick, leaving Kat distraught. Joey then hits Cameron, but is thrashed by Bianca for injuring her, Kat, and Cameron. Bianca and Cameron kiss once more.
Bianca reconciles with Kat the following day and starts dating Cameron. Walter recognizes Kat’s ability to care for herself and grants her permission to attend Sarah Lawrence College. Kat reads aloud a poem titled “10 Things I Hate About You” for an assignment in which students were supposed to compose their own version of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 141, showing that she still loves Patrick. Patrick surprises her with a midrange Fender Strat ($1300) purchased with Joey’s money and professes his feelings for her. Kat forgives him, and the two kiss to make up.
10 Things I Hate About You Cast and Crew
Julia Stiles as Katarina “Kat” Stratford, the anti-social, shrewish elder Stratford sister
Heath Ledger plays Patrick Verona, the Australian “bad boy” who is hired to date Kat and falls for her in the process.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Cameron James, the new student at Padua High School who is smitten with Bianca and goes to great lengths to win her favor.
Larisa Oleynik as Bianca Stratford, the younger of the two Stratford sisters, is superficial and popular.
Larry Miller plays Walter Stratford, an obstetrician and single parent who is overprotective of his daughters, Kat and Bianca.
Andrew Keegan plays Joey Donner, an affluent, self-absorbed high school senior and aspiring model who intends to have sex with Bianca and, to that end, pays Patrick to date Kat.
David Krumholtz plays Michael Eckman, a geek who assists Cameron in his quest to woo Bianca and, in the process, tries to woo Kat’s friend Mandella.
Susan May Pratt plays Mandella, Kat’s only close friend and an aficionado of William Shakespeare, who ends up going to the prom with Michael.
Gabrielle Union plays Chastity Church, Bianca’s best friend, who betrays Bianca by going out with Joey when Bianca spurns him.
Daryl Mitchell is Mr. Morgan, teacher of Kat, Patrick, and Joey’s English class.
Allison Janney plays Ms. Perky, Padua High School’s guidance counselor and a writer of erotic literature.
David Leisure as Mr. Chapin, coach of the girls’ soccer team
Greg Jackson is known as “Scurvy”, a friend of Patrick.
Kyle Cease plays Bogey Lowenstein, a golf enthusiast and member of a clique of aspiring MBAs.
The band Letters to Cleo (singer Kay Hanley, guitarists Greg McKenna and Michael Eisenstein, bassist Scott Riebling, and drummer Jason Sutter) appears as the band performing at Club Skunk, playing their songs “Come On” and “Co-Pilot”, and playing a cover version of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” on the school’s rooftop during the closing credits. Hanley and Eisenstein also appear in the prom scene, performing a cover of Nick Lowe’s “Cruel to Be Kind” with Save Ferris.
The band Save Ferris (singer Monique Powell, guitarist Brian Mashburn, bassist Bill Uechi, trumpeter José Castellaos, trombonist Brian Williams, saxophonist Eric Zamora, and drummer Evan Kilbourne) appears as the band performing at the prom, playing their songs “I Know” and “Can’t Stop” as well as covers of The Isley Brothers’ “Shout” and Nick Lowe’s “Cruel to Be Kind”.
