I grew up in Tacoma, Washington. There is one movie that everyone I graduated with mentions and lists off locations from.10 Things I Hate About You was released in 1999 and stars Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. It’s a modern adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.Cameron (Gordon Levitt) wants to date Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) but her father won’t let her date until her older sister Kat (Stiles) who is completely anti-social does. So Cameron tricks Joey Donner, a rich student into paying Patrick (Ledger) to date Kat. Hilarity ensues Patrick finds himself falling for the girl he started going after for money.For a romantic comedy of the 80s and 90s, 10 Things has actually aged pretty well. There’s no surprise sexual assault gag, Patrick actually takes a drunk Kat home during one scene, enraging her when she gets embarrassed that he won’t kiss her when he thinks she’s too drunk.There’s a big iconic scene during this sequence that takes place in Tacoma’s Stadium Bowl, as Patrick sings to Kat in front of all the world.“I want you baby!”Tacoma’s Stadium High School stood in for the Padua High School of the movie. An easy fit given that Stadium was built in an old hotel that looks like a freaking castle.Entrance to Stadium High School in TacomaSo much work is done in every scene to put tiny details to characterize whoever’s space you’re in. From the Principal played by Allison Janney writing erotica to the band posters chosen for Kat’s room when Bianca and Cameron are searching for clues about what boys Kat would like.There’s even a poster there for The Gits, a grunge band whose lead singer Mia Zapata was murdered after a show right as the band was getting big, which as someone who grew up there during the time the movie was filmed, a girl like Kat in Seattle or Tacoma would absolutely have been in to.The movie weaves back and forth between modern slang and iambic pentameter with ease, even the more Shakespearean lines are tweaked to fit the portrayals of the characters by these actors in this place and time.There was so much work and love poured into this movie by the cast and crew, and it’s such a nice one to watch. Kat and Patrick bantering is so much fun to listen to, as is Kat annoying her English teacher. Just a fantastic movie and one I always enjoy rewatching.
