10 Things really had the best quotes

10 Things I Hate About You really was not an underrated film, but I would say it was ahead of its time as well, much as the previously discussed Ever After. With a SMASHING cast and a lovely story, with plenty of funny characters and antics, there are numerous scenes and quotes that really make you go HMMM or HAHAHA! Here are some of my favourites:

In the beginning of the film we are introduced to Kat. She seems kind of angry, but we learn that she has a very critical eye because she has been hurt. We also learn she is very educated, well-read, and has plans for her future. She sticks up for herself and her values, and isn't afraid to push back and ask questions. In the scene of her English/Lit class, we quickly understand that she has a bit of a habit of speaking up and questioning everything, and her teacher's annoyance clearly demonstrates that. But check out this exchange between her, a jock jerk, and her teacher, who is a Black male:

Mr. Morgan: “What did everyone think of The Sun also Rises?”

Female student: “I loved it, he’s so romantic.”

Kat: “Romantic? Hemmingway? He was an abusive, alcoholic misogynist who squandered half his life hanging around Picasso trying to nail his leftovers.”

Joey: “As opposed to a bitter, self-righteous hag who has no friends?”

Mr. Morgan: “Pipe down, Chachi.”

Kat (to Joey): “I guess in this society, being male and an asshole makes you worthy of our time." (back to teacher) "What about Sylvia Plath or Charlotte Bronte or Simone de Beauvoir?”

Patrick enters: “What’d I miss?”

Kat: “The oppressive patriarchal values that dictate our education.”

Joey: “Mr. Morgan, is there any chance we could get Kat to take her Midol before she comes to class?”

Mr. Morgan: “Some day you’re gonna get bitch-slapped and I’m not gonna do a thing to stop it. And Kat, I wanna thank you for your point of view. I know how difficult it must be for you to overcome all those years of upper middle-class suburban oppression. Must be tough. But the next time you storm the PTA crusading for better lunch meat, or whatever it is you white girls complain about, ask ‘em why they can’t buy a book written by a Black man!”

There is SO much going on here, and this film only came out in 1999. A lot of these societal issues are still very much at the forefront of discussion and unrest: women's rights, representation, BIPOC rights, misogyny, patriarchal dysfunction, and on! In 1999 these issues were not often openly discussed or highlighted, yet they nailed it in this film all in one short scene.

Then we have some more humorous quotes that are very well-known:

Chastity: "I know you can be underwhelmed, and you can be overwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

Bianca: "I think you can in Europe."

And another between these two friends:

Bianca: "There's a difference between like and love. Like, I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack."

Chastity: "I love my Skechers."

Bianca: "That's because you don't have a Prada backpack."

And my favourite, at the prom:

Michael: "The shit hath hiteth the faneth!" (made all the more funny as he's dressed as William Shakespeare, making Cameron aware of the drama between Joey and Patrick)

And this doofus, when asking Bianca for her opinion on two photos of himself:

Bianca: "Pensive?"

Joey: "Damn. I was going for thoughtful."

And Walter Stratford:

when the girls are leaving for a party:

"No drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no piercings, no ritual animal slaughters of any kind. Oh, God, I'm giving them ideas..."

when the girls were trying to sneak out:

Walter: "Where are we going?"

Bianca: "Well, if you must know, a small study group with friends."

Walter: "Also known as an ORGY?!"

Chastity: "Mr. Stratford, it's just a party."

Walter: "And hell is just a sauna."

in response to Bianca saying her sister will never date:

"Then you'll never date! Oh, I like that. And I'll get to sleep at night! The deep slumber of a father whose daughters aren't out being impregnated!"

when Bianca tells him what happens at prom:

"Kissing? That's what you think happens? Kissing isn't what keeps me up to my elbows in placenta all day long!"

And of course one cannot forget Kat's "10 things I hate about you" poem to Patrick...

This is such a feel-good, funny film that I have watched it ... well, an unthinkable amount of times. It is a little sad watching it now, knowing that Heath Ledger died, and his character is so charming and endearing, with that beautiful smile!

What are some of your favourites in this film?

In love and literature,

Nadine