''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film directed by

Gil Junger Gil Junger (born November 7, 1954) is an American film and television director. He is best known for directing '' 10 Things I Hate About You'' (1999), his directorial film debut. He is a 1972 graduate of the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, ...

in his film directorial debut and starring

Julia Stiles Julia O'Hara Stiles (born March 28, 1981) is an American actress. Stiles began acting at the age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Her film debut was a small role at age 15 in '' I Love You, I Love You Not'' (1996), ...

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film care ...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his leading perform ...

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films '' She's All That ...

, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith is a modernization of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's comedy ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'', retold in a late-1990s American

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

setting. The film follows new student Cameron James (Gordon-Levitt) who is smitten with Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) and attempts to get bad boy Patrick Verona (Ledger) to date her antisocial sister Kat (Stiles) in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating. Named after a poem Kat writes about her romance with Patrick, the film was mostly shot in the

Seattle metropolitan area The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding Satellite city, satellites and suburbs. The United States Census Bureau defines the Seattle–T ...

, with many scenes filmed at Stadium High School in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

. Released on March 31, 1999, ''10 Things I Hate About You'' grossed $53.5 million and received generally positive reviews from critics. It provided

breakthrough role A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the theatre, film and television industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of crit ...

s for Stiles, Ledger, and Gordon-Levitt, all of whom were nominated for various teen-oriented awards. Ten years later, it was adapted into a television reboot, which ran for twenty episodes and featured Larry Miller reprising his role as Walter Stratford. Since release, it has gained popularity as a

cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...

, often being cited as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time.

Plot

Cameron James, a new student at Padua High School in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

area, immediately becomes smitten with beautiful and popular sophomore Bianca Stratford.

Geek The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...

y Michael Eckman warns him that she is vapid and conceited, and that her overprotective single father Walter, an

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

worried about

teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female under the age of 20. Worldwide, pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 years old. The definition of teenage pregnancy i ...

, does not allow her or her shrewish older sister Kat, a senior, to date. Kat is accepted to

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

in New York, but Walter wants her to stay close to home and attend his alma mater, the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. Bianca wishes to date affluent senior Joey Donner, but Walter will not allow his daughters to date until they graduate. Frustrated by Bianca's insistence and Kat's rebelliousness, Walter relents and declares that Bianca may date only when Kat does, knowing that Kat's antisocial attitude will greatly complicate it. When Cameron asks Bianca out, she informs him of her father's new rule and suggests he find someone willing to date Kat so that she can freely date Joey. He selects Australian "bad boy" Patrick Verona, who initially frightens him with his attitude. Michael assists by convincing Joey to pay Patrick to take Kat out, believing that it will allow Joey to date Bianca. Patrick agrees to the deal, but Kat initially rebuffs his first few advances. After Michael and Cameron assist him by probing Bianca for information on Kat's preferences, Patrick begins to win Kat's interest. She goes to a party with him, which enables Bianca to tag along, greatly upsetting Walter. At the party, Kat becomes upset upon seeing Bianca with Joey, and responds by getting intoxicated. Patrick attends to her, and she starts to open up to him, expressing her interest in forming a band. When Kat attempts to kiss him, Patrick pulls away, causing her to depart, infuriated. Meanwhile, Bianca upsets Cameron by ignoring him for Joey, but soon realizes that Joey is indeed shallow and self-absorbed. When she asks Cameron to drive her home, he admits his feelings for her are indeed genuine and her treatment of him has frustrated him, and she reconciliatorily kisses him in response. Joey offers to pay Patrick to take Kat to the prom so he can take Bianca. He initially refuses, but relents when Joey offers him more money. Although Kat is still angry with Patrick, he eventually wins her over by serenading her, accompanied by the Padua High School marching band, with a performance of "

Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, and first recorded and released as a single by Gaudio's Four Seasons bandmate Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and rea ...

" by

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

, and she returns the favor by assisting him in sneaking out of detention. Their subsequent date turns romantic, but Kat becomes suspicious when Patrick insists that she accompany him to the prom, which she adamantly opposes. Irritated at not being asked to the prom by Cameron, Bianca accepts Joey's invitation, but Walter declines to allow it unless Kat accompanies her. Kat confesses to Bianca that she dated Joey when they were freshmen and, succumbing to peer pressure, had sex with him, later regretting it. After Joey dumped her, she vowed against doing anything out of peer pressure. Bianca insists that she can decide her own life, so Kat agrees to attend the prom with Patrick, and Bianca decides to go with Cameron instead of Joey. At the prom, Bianca learns that Joey planned to have sex with her that night. Angry that Bianca has spurned him for Cameron, Joey reveals his arrangement with Patrick, which causes Kat to leave, heartbroken. Joey then shoves Michael and punches Cameron, but Bianca then assaults him for having hurt her, Kat, and Cameron. Bianca and Cameron share another kiss. The following day, Bianca reconciles with Kat and begins dating Cameron. Comfortable that Kat can handle herself, Walter permits her to attend Sarah Lawrence College. For an assignment in which the students were tasked to write their own versions of

Sonnet 141 Sonnet 141 is the informal name given to the 141st of William Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. The theme of the sonnet is the discrepancy between the poet's physical senses and wits (intellect) on the one hand and his heart on the other. The " five w ...

, Kat reads aloud a poem she composed, entitled "10 Things I Hate About You", revealing that she still loves and cares for Patrick. He surprises her with a

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...

that he bought with the money Joey paid him, and confesses that he has fallen for her. Kat forgives him, and they reconcile with a kiss.

Cast

as Katarina "Kat" Stratford, the antisocial and shrewish older Stratford sister *

as Patrick Verona, the Australian " bad boy" hired to date Kat *

as Cameron James, the new student at Padua High School who is smitten with Bianca and goes to great lengths to win her over * Larisa Oleynik as Bianca Stratford, the superficial and popular younger Stratford sister * Larry Miller as Walter Stratford, an

and

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

who is overprotective of his daughters * Andrew Keegan as Joey Donner, an affluent and 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 as 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 as Mandella, Kat's only close friend and an aficionado of

who falls for Michael * Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Mr. Morgan, teacher of Kat, Patrick, and Joey's English class *

Allison Janney Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. Known for her performances across the screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Allison Janney, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

as Ms. Perky, Padua High School's guidance counselor and a writer of

erotic literature Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (concept), eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically ...

David Leisure David Russell Leisure (born November 16, 1950) is an American actor. He played Charley Dietz in the sitcom '' Empty Nest'' from 1988 to 1995 and fictional automotive "pitch man" Joe Isuzu in a series of North American television commercials for ...

as Mr. Chapin, coach of the girls' soccer team *

as Chastity Church, Bianca's best friend who later becomes her enemy *Greg Jackson as "Scurvy", a friend of Patrick * Kyle Cease as Bogey Lowenstein, a golf enthusiast and member of a clique of aspiring

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

s *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 a cover of

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

's "

I Want You to Want Me "I Want You to Want Me" is a song by the American Rock music, rock band Cheap Trick. It is originally from their second album ''In Color (album), In Color'', released in September 1977. It was the first single released from that album, but it ...

" on the school's rooftop during the closing credits. Hanley and Eisenstein also appear in the prom scene, performing a cover of

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Cruel to Be Kind" with Save Ferris. *The band Save Ferris (singer Monique Powell, guitarist Brian Mashburn, bassist Bill Uechi, trumpeter José Castellaños, 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 The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

' " Shout" and

Production

Background

Writing duo Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith were inspired to write ''10 Things I Hate About You'' after watching '' Clueless'' (1995). Being a fan of

teen film Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens and/or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with pa ...

s, the pair set out to find a classic play or myth to turn it into a contemporary high-school movie, eventually settling on ''

'', a

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

. They wanted to write a strong-willed,

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

character. Patrick Verona was inspired by Judd Nelson's character in ''

The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American independent teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. The ensemble cast includes Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ring ...

'' (1985). The script was finalized in November 1997. The screenplay was eventually picked up by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

, with

attached to direct.

Casting

Junger was keen to find unknown actors for the movie.

Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's drama series ''Cracker (American TV series), Cracker'' (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol thro ...

and

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur. His accolades include a People's Choice Award and fifteen Teen Choice Awards, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. K ...

were in the running to play Patrick Verona.

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American former actress. Dushku starred as Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Faith in the supernatural Drama (film and television), drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) an ...

auditioned for the role of Kat Stratford.

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...

was also considered for the role.

Kate Hudson Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Born to singer Bill Hudson (singer), Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama ''Desert Blue'', which was followed by supporting ...

was offered the part but her mother,

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received ...

, did not like the script, so she passed on the role. Casting director Marcia Ross contacted Junger and recommended

for the role. Junger met her that evening and was "immediately taken"; after the 10 minute meeting, he gave her the role. Joseph Gordon Levitt auditioned for the roles of Cameron and Michael, despite initial reluctance to act in a "high school film". The role of Michael eventually went to David Krumholtz and Levitt was then offered the role of Cameron, but he wasn't interested doing a high school film until the director convinced him to take it. Casting for Patrick Verona was a long process, with Andrew Lazar reporting he had seen over 1,000 boys for the role. Three and a half weeks before filming was due to start, Ross brought

into a casting session, who charmed Junger and was immediately cast.

Filming

Filming took place in 1998, between June 8 and August 6. Many of the scenes were filmed on location at Stadium High School and at a house in the North End of

. The prom sequence was shot over three days in

. Ledger's singing scene in the high-school bleachers, regarded as one of the most iconic scenes of the movie, had just three

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each ...

s. The song for the scene changed numerous times, almost being " I Touch Myself" by Australian rock band

Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school un ...

, before "

" by

was settled on. Costume designer Kim Tillman designed original dresses for Larisa Oleynik and Julia Stiles, as well as the period outfits for Susan May Pratt and David Krumholtz. Gabrielle Union's snakeskin prom dress is a Betsey Johnson design. Heath Ledger's and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's vintage

tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

s came from Isadora's in Seattle.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $8.3 million in 2,271 theaters domestically, finishing second at the box office, behind ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

''. It earned $21 million in the first five days of release. The movie grossed a total of $38.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $15.3 million in other territories, for $53.7 million worldwide.

Critical response

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger add strong performances to an unexpectedly clever script, elevating ''10 Things'' (slightly) above typical teen fare."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

assigned the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Geoff Andrew from '' Time Out'' praised the film's leads, writing, "Stiles grows into her character, and Ledger is effortlessly charming." Brad Laidman of ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' said the film was "pure of heart and perfectly executed." Ron Wells, also of ''Film Threat'', wrote, "Of all the teen films released this year, this one is, by far, the best."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying that he "liked the movie's spirit, the actors and some of the scenes. The music, much of it by the band Letters to Cleo, is subtle and inventive while still cheerful. The movie almost but not quite achieves liftoff against the gravitational pull of the tired story formula." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' put the film 49th on its list of Best High School Movies. The costuming was praised by '' Vogue'' for being stylish and helping illustrate the divide between the Stratford sisters, referring to the movie as a "time capsule" for 90s fashion.

Accolades

''10 Things I Hate About You'' provided

s for Stiles, Ledger, and Gordon-Levitt. Gordon-Levitt, Stiles, and Oleynik each received YoungStar Award nominations for Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy Film. The movie was nominated for seven

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...

: Choice Movie: Breakout Star (Stiles), Choice Movie: Comedy, Choice Movie: Funniest Scene (featuring Krumholtz), Choice Movie: Love Scene (featuring Stiles and Ledger), Choice Movie: Hissy Fit (Gordon-Levitt), Choice Movie: Villain (Andrew Keegan) and Choice Movie: Soundtrack at the 1999 Teen Choice Awards. The film's casting directors Marcia Ross and Donna Morong were nominated for Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy at the

Casting Society of America The Casting Society, formerly known as the Casting Society of America (CSA), is a professional association of about 1,200 casting directors and associate casting directors for film, television, theatre, and commercials in Canada, Europe, Austral ...

's Artios Awards in 1999. In 2000, Stiles won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress (tied with

Émilie Dequenne Émilie Dequenne (; 29 August 1981 – 16 March 2025) was a Belgian actress. She first gained recognition for her role in the Dardenne brothers' film '' Rosetta'' (1999), which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. The fi ...

in ''

Rosetta Rosetta ( ) or Rashid (, ; ) is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Rosetta Stone was discovered there in 1799. Founded around the 9th century on the site of the ancient town of Bolbitine, R ...

'') at the 1999 CFCA Awards and an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. Ledger was also nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Performance for the song "

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack album, featuring Letters to Cleo performing cover versions of

's "

" and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

rated it 3 stars out of 5, calling it "one of the best

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

soundtracks of the spring 1999 season".

Certifications

Legacy and cultural impact

The film is often considered one of the greatest teen and romantic comedies of all time, receiving praise for subverting expectations and having a feminist lead character. The film has been cited as an influence for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's romcom revival. Kat's defiance for conventional feminine attitudes was seen as an "extreme" brand of feminism at the time; however, the independent female character is now retrospectively regarded as a progressive portrayal that challenged the traditional teen movie archetypes, aligning more closely with modern feminist ideals. The film is often regarded to be a

due to the unconventional stereotypes resonating throughout generations and in youth culture years later. ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...

'' ranked the movie number one on their list for best teen romance movies. '' GQ'' included the film on their list of the best 90s movies, and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'' had it on their list of the best movies that defined the 90s. In 2024, during the Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud, Drake responded to Lamar's diss track "

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

" by sharing a clip of the movie on Instagram, showing Stiles' reading the titular poem.

Adaptations

In June 1999, the

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

published a

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...

of the story, adapted by

David Levithan David Levithan (born September 7, 1972) is an American young adult fiction author and editor."David Levithan". October 30, 2008. Gale Database. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. UWM Golda Meir Library, Milwaukee. July 1, 2009. He has written numer ...

. The story is retold as it is in the film, with each chapter written from the point of view of either Bianca, Cameron, Kat, Patrick, or Michael. In October 2008,

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

ordered a

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

of ''

10 Things I Hate About You ''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger in his film directorial debut and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, and Larisa Oleynik. The scree ...

'', a half-hour, single-camera comedy series based on the film. Larry Miller is the only actor from the film to reprise his role of Walter Stratford in the TV series. The director of the film,

, directed many of the episodes, including the pilot; the film's composer, Richard Gibbs, also returned to do the show's music. The series was adapted and produced by Carter Covington. The show premiered on July 7, 2009, and ended on May 24, 2010, lasting 20 episodes.

Sequels

In May 2012, a standalone sequel titled '' 10 Things I Hate About Life'' was announced to be in development with Gil Junger serving as director and screenwriter.

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

and Thomas McDonell were cast in the lead roles, and while production commenced principal photography halted with delays in continuing the production. The movie was ultimately shelved indefinitely, resulting in legal action taken by its producers. In May 2025, a sequel was in development with the title ''10 Things I Hate About Dating''. Gil Junger will once again serve as director, with the filmmaker co-writing the script with Naya Elle James. Junger stated that similar to the previous movie being a William Shakespeare contemporary retelling, the new project will be based on Jean-Baptiste "Molière" Poquelin's '' The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover''. The director expressed hopes that cast from the original movie would reprise the roles, in a variety of cameos or as a featured supporting cast alongside the new characters. The movie is intended to be the first in a trilogy of sequels, with the additional projects tentatively titled: ''10 Things I Hate About Marriage'', and ''10 Things I Hate About Kids''. Junger acknowledged that while Ledger cannot appear in the new installment, there will be reference and tribute made to the deceased actor.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1999 films 1999 directorial debut films 1990s coming-of-age comedy films 1990s feminist films 1990s high school films 1999 romantic comedy films 1990s teen comedy films 1990s teen romance films American coming-of-age comedy films American feminist comedy films American high school films American romantic comedy films American teen comedy films American teen romance films Coming-of-age romance films 1990s English-language films Films about proms Films adapted into television shows Films based on The Taming of the Shrew Films directed by Gil Junger Films scored by Richard Gibbs Films set in Seattle Films set in Washington (state) Films shot in Seattle Films shot in Washington (state) Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare Teen films based on works by William Shakespeare Touchstone Pictures films Films about sisters Films about father–daughter relationships 1990s American films English-language romantic comedy films