10 Things I Hate About You

Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a new student at Padua High School in the Seattle area, becomes instantly smitten with popular sophomore Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik), the younger of the two Stratford sisters, superficial and popular. Ms. Perky (Allison Janney) Padua High School's guidance counselor and a writer of erotic literature. Cameron had changed 9 schools in 10 years and claims that his dad is in the army. Mr. Morgan (Daryl "Chill" Mitchell) is the teacher of English class. Mr. Chapin (David Leisure) is the coach of the girls' soccer team Cameron befriends Michael who introduces the various cliques at school including, the beautiful people (don't speak to them unless they speak to you), the coffee guys (very edgy at all times and no sudden movements around them), White Rastas (the delusional who are big Marlet fans and believe that they are African Americans), Cowboys (the closest they came to a cow is at McDonald's), future MBAs (all accepted to Ivy league schools) and the "Don't even think about it" group (of which Bianca is a member). Geeky Michael Eckman (David Krumholtz) warns him that Bianca is vapid and conceited, and that her overprotective father does not allow Bianca or her older sister, the shrewish Kat/Katarina (Julia Stiles), to date. Kat, a senior, is accepted to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, but her father, Walter (Larry Miller) (an obstetrician and single parent who is overprotective of his daughters, Kat, and Bianca), wants her to stay close to home and attend his Alma mater, the University of Washington. Bianca wishes to date affluent senior Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan), but Walter, an obstetrician worrisome of teenage pregnancy, will not allow his daughters to date until they graduate. Frustrated by Bianca's insistence and Kat's rebelliousness, Walter declares that Bianca may date only when Kat does, knowing that Kat's antisocial attitude makes this unlikely. Chastity (Gabrielle Union) is Bianca's best friend, while Mandella (Susan May Pratt) is Kat's only friend. When Cameron asks Bianca out, she informs him of her father's new rule and, as a pretense for allowing her to date Joey, suggests that Cameron find someone willing to date Kat. Cameron selects Australian "bad boy" Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), but Patrick scares him off. Patrick was rumored to have set a state trooper on fire and spent a year in juvenile detention. Michael assists by convincing Joey to pay Patrick to take out Kat, under the pretense that this will allow Joey to date Bianca. Patrick demands $50 to take Kat out for a movie, to which Joey agrees. Patrick agrees to the deal, but Kat rebuffs his first few advances. Patrick ups his price to $100 per date. Michael and Cameron help him by prying Bianca for information on Kat's likes and dislikes. Bianca is more than happy to spill the beans. She reveals that Kat is a Jared Leto fan (she likes pretty guys), hates smokers, has black underwear (which means she wants to have sex), likes Thai food, feminist prose, angry girl music and so on. Armed with this knowledge, Patrick begins to win Kat's interest. She goes to a party with him, which enables Bianca to go as well, much to Walter's dismay. At the party, Kat becomes upset when she sees Bianca with Joey and responds by getting drunk and dancing on top of a table in front of everyone. Patrick attends to her as Kat is clearly not in her senses, and Kat starts to open up, expressing her interest in starting a band. However, when she tries to kiss him, Patrick pulls away and Kat leaves, infuriated. Meanwhile, Bianca ignores Cameron in favor of Joey, leaving Cameron dejected. Bianca tries to set Cameron up with Chastity. Bianca soon realizes, however, that Joey is shallow and self-absorbed, and asks Cameron for a ride home. Cameron admits his feelings for her and his frustration with how she has treated him. Bianca responds by kissing him. Joey offers to pay Patrick to take Kat to the prom so he can take Bianca. Patrick initially refuses but relents when Joey offers him more money. Kat is still angry with Patrick, but he wins her over by serenading her with the accompaniment of the marching band, and she helps him sneak out of detention. They go on a date which turns romantic, but Kat becomes suspicious and angry when Patrick insists that she go with him to the prom, an event she is adamantly against. Bianca is irritated that Cameron hasn't asked her to the prom, and so accepts Joey's invitation, but Walter won't allow it unless Kat goes too. Kat confesses to Bianca that she dated Joey when they were freshmen and, succumbing to peer pressure, had sex with him. Afterward she regretted it, and Joey dumped her, so she vowed to never again do anything just because everyone else was doing it. Bianca insists that she can make her own choices, so Kat agrees to go to the prom with Patrick, and Bianca decides to go with Cameron instead of Joey. All is going well at the prom until Bianca learns that Joey planned to have sex with her that night. Angry that Bianca has spurned him for Cameron, Joey reveals his arrangement with Patrick, which causes Kat to leave heartbroken. Joey then punches Cameron but is in turn beaten up by Bianca for having hurt her, Kat, and Cameron. Bianca and Cameron share another kiss. The next day, Bianca reconciles with Kat and begins dating Cameron. Walter admits that Kat can take care of herself and gives her permission to attend Sarah Lawrence College. For an assignment in which the students were required to write their own version of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 141, Kat reads aloud a poem titled "10 Things I Hate About You", revealing that she still loves Patrick. He surprises her with a Fender Stratocaster that he bought with the money Joey paid him, and confesses that he has fallen for her. Kat forgives him, and they reconcile with a kiss.