Cliches from the past are still just as relevant now, and pop culture has found a creative way to create a smooth film incorporating some of the classics. In Gil Junger’s The 10 Things I Hate About You, the audience follows two sisters as they venture through high school. Beautiful, single, and sexually-appealing sophomore, Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) and angst-ridden, feminist punk senior, Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) find love against all odds. When new student Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) strikes a deal with Australian bad boy, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to take Kat out on a date, he lands a date with the irresistible Bianca.

It is easy to tell with the amount of romance cliches in the movie, and amount of technical errors in the scenes that it was not aimed towards movie buffs, but an audience looking for an easy chick-flick to sit through and have a little reassurance on love. The amount of heart-throb and attractive guys pulls in the inner teenage girl, making one want to follow the high school lovers to the end of their heartwarming story.

In this love story, Heath Ledger plays an Australian bad boy who smokes and plays pool at a polluted bar, and with his accent and his ability to form to a role he portrays this “bad-boy” stereotype perfectly. Larisa Oleynik, Bianca plays a stuck up white girl, who is the favored sister. With her high-pitched voice and her childish demeanor, she is a good fit for the roll, maybe not as a sophomore, but as a freshman experiencing world of high school for the first time.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays the eventual love interest of Bianca perfectly fits the “nerds are cool” stereotype, with his weak figure yet charming wits. Kat Stratford, played by Julia Stiles is a highly convincing, feminist new generation character, strong enough to still have influence over girls today. 16 years later and Kat is still an idol memorialized by feminists everywhere.

By using alternating locations, music, and overall character portrayal, the director as well as the cast does an amazing job at conveying the theme of high school romance and teenage angst.

Overall, the film was strong with a strong cast.  It is a classic 90’s movie, and a great staple for whom Heath Ledger was.