Things I Used to Love: 10 Things I Hate About You

Since it's February, and Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I thought I'd do some topical Things I Used to Love. So this month, I'll be focusing on movies, books, etc. that shaped my romantic ideals or otherwise influenced my thoughts on love and relationships. First up: 10 Things I Hate About You.

The teen rom-com was released in 1999, during my freshman year of high school. It's loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and focuses on two sisters who aren't allowed to date. The younger sister, Bianca (played by Larisa Oleynik, aka Alex Mack), wants to date, while older sister Kat (Julia Stiles) couldn't be less interested. Seeing this, their father decides that Bianca will be allowed to date when Kat does. So she hatches a plan with Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to find someone who will take Kat out. They settle on Patrick (Heath Ledger), but he needs some convincing, so Joey (Andrew Keegan, remember him?), who is also interested in Bianca, agrees to pay him on a per-date basis.

In case you weren't a teenage girl at the turn of the century and thus haven't seen it, I won't spoil the ending for you. But let's just say that Kat and Patrick develop an interesting love/hate relationship. As a teen, I pretty much thought that was the hottest thing ever. The idea that you could be screaming in someone's face and making out with them a minute later? So sexy. As a result, I developed a crush on a boy I constantly argued with, and fantasized that he would one day press me against the lockers and initiate a steamy make-out session. Sadly, said make-out sesh never occurred.

The movie shaped my life in other ways, too. I knew I wanted to go out of state for college, and one I considered was the University of Washington, where the movie was filmed (the campus looks gorgeous!). I also really identified with Kat, as I fancied myself an alterna-girl with some pent-up rage. I admired her ballsy-ness, even if I rarely imitated it in my own life. She was always true to herself, and that was something I struggled with when I was younger.

This movie was also my introduction to the late, great Heath Ledger and a short-haired JGL (after he rocked the shoulder-length locks on 3rd Rock from the Sun), and they were both adorable in completely different ways. The supporting cast is great, as well: Alison Janney is the kooky guidance counselor, and David Krumholtz is Cameron's dorky friend Michael. Also, QUOTES! The movie is full of random tidbits I say to this day, like:

"The shit hath hitteth the fan ... ith." - Michael (a nod to its Shakespearean roots)

"Remove head from sphincter, then drive!" - Kat 

"Bogey's party is just a lame excuse for all the idiots at our school to drink beer and rub up against each other in hopes of distracting themselves from the pathetic emptiness of their meaningless, consumer-driven lives." - Kat

 "And I'm back in the game!" - Cameron (also the title of my very first post on this blog)

10 Things I Hate About You was made into a short-lived TV series on ABC Family in 2009. I watched it (as I am compelled to watch all of their original shows at least once; it's a sickness), and it wasn't bad, but it didn't really have the same tone as the movie. Or maybe it just didn't resonate with me since I wasn't 14 (and their target audience) anymore. But the movie will always have a special place in my heart.