If you want a time capsule of 1999 alt-rock, look no further. The soundtrack features Letters to Cleo (who appear as the band at the prom), Semisonic, Save Ferris, and Joan Jett. The music isn't just background noise; it drives the emotion, particularly during the climactic reading of Kat’s poem.
Before he was a legendary Joker or a brooding cowboy, Heath Ledger was Patrick Verona—the mysterious, sardonic bad boy with a heart of gold. Opposite him, Julia Stiles’ Kat Stratford wasn’t your typical mean girl or damsel. She was angry, smart, and unapologetically feminist. Their banter feels real, and their slow-burn romance is the gold standard for enemies-to-lovers tropes. 10 Ten Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You is a perfect storm of writing, acting, and 90s aesthetic. It taught a generation that you could be smart, angry, and still fall in love; that you could be a dork and still get the girl; and that a grand gesture can be as simple as singing a bad cover song in a stadium. If you want a time capsule of 1999 alt-rock, look no further
It is the defining moment of the movie. Patrick doesn’t buy Kat flowers or write a generic note. He commandeers the stadium PA system, bribes the band, and proceeds to sing Frankie Valli’s "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" while doing absurd choreography across the football field. It’s cringey, it’s loud, it’s perfect. In that moment, Heath Ledger became every girl’s dream boyfriend. Before he was a legendary Joker or a
The title of the movie comes from this scene. After Patrick humiliates her by revealing the bet, Kat reads a poem for English class titled "10 Things I Hate About You." It starts funny ("I hate the way you talk to me") and slowly crushes your soul ("But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all"). Julia Stiles’ delivery is raw and heartbreaking.
Released in 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You arrived at the perfect crossroads: the death rattle of the grunge era and the birth of the modern teen movie. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew , it could have been just another high school rom-com. Instead, it became a cultural touchstone.