The teen update on The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You, is actually surprisingly watchable, and now you can catch it in a special 10th Anniversary Edition on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Padua High sophomore Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) has two invitations to the prom and one big problem: her father (Larry Miller) won’t let her go unless her older sister Kat (Julia Stiles) agrees to attend as well. It looks like both girls are staying home, since independent and unconventional Kat has no interest in going—until she meets the school’s mysterious new bad boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger). What she doesn’t know is that her sister’s suitors (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Andrew Keegan) have ponied up $300 to convince Patrick to woo her. Just as Patrick realizes he has unexpectedly fallen for his “assignment,” Kat finds out about the scheme and Patrick has to launch an all out campaign to win her back. Inspired by Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," 10 Things I Hate About You takes a witty and contemporary look at the eternal battle between the sexes, high-school style.
Bonus Features for 10 Things I Hate About You:
• 10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You 10 Years Later – How do you turn a high school teenage romance film into a cult hit? Start with a new approach to literary classic; find some talented young actors and pepper in the right amount of punk rock! Ten years after the film’s initial debut, we’ll sit with the director Gil Junger, and writers Kirsten Smith and Karen Lutz to reflect and hear the story about how this classic teen comedy came to be.
Through these interviews and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, original cast interviews, deleted scenes, original screen test and personal photos from the writers’ scrap books we will tell the remarkable story of this smash hit and why everyone loves 10 Things I Hate About You.
• I Want You To Want Me: The 10 Things I Hate About You Screen Tests — Viewers are invited into the casting office for an insiders look at the screen tests that won actors Heath Ledger, Julia Styles, Larisa Oleynik and Susan May Pratt their classic roles. This featurette includes an introduction by director Gil Junger and writers Kirsten Smith and Karen Lutz
• Audio Commentary with co-writers Karen Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and stars Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Larisa Oleynik and Susan May Pratt
The 10 Years Later featurette is obviously a big draw, and those with an interest aren't going to be disappointed. This is actually a much better presentation than you might expect considering this is a reissue of something that was not a dominant hit. Though the film has a solid fan following, it's not a massive title, and it's nice to see that if we are getting a new treatment, there's some point to it. Kicking things out over and over just to milk a few more dollars is becoming rather popular, but this release is actually worth it. With the obvious selling point of looking back at Heath Ledger through interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, and the similar look at the other stars, those who enjoy the film are getting their money's worth here.
I always find screen tests a great deal of fun, and these are rather priceless, but I don't know for sure how well they translate to the general viewing public. There's something incredibly human and non-Hollywood about watching actors give their tests to me. If you're interested in the theory, these are great.
The audio commentary track runs somewhere about average in the big picture. On some objective scale of commentary tracks this is not the most interesting, but if you are a serious fan of this film that's going to be a different story. The writers and some of the stars relive their experience, and largely discuss how and why it was so much fun to be involved.
This is obviously a showcase for fans, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear those who have longed love the film wish for a deeper store of special features, but the ones here are quality efforts. Overall, I'd have to give the release a pretty solid recommendation. There's only so much you can reasonably expect from the package, and this really is that much.
Own it on Blu-Ray and DVD today!
Leave a comment below and include the word, "Win," and you're entered to win your very own copy of the Blu-Ray! U.S. only. Winner will be randomly selected on January 31st!
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Meeting
Stadium Serenade
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Tell Me Something True
Trailer
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
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