March 31, 1999
Touchstone
Comedy, Romance
VHS
B
This is a very '90s teen rom-com, based on The Taming of the Shrew, and even that inspiration is very '90s. (Cf. not only Clueless, but She's All That, She's the Man, etc.) Because it's the '90s, the "shrew" is refreshingly the most sympathetic character and she's not so much tamed as gentled by being treated with respect and affection, as well as a marching-band-backed serenade. It helps that "tamed" and "tamer" are played by a charismatic and intelligent pair, Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger (before he hit it big and then died young). Also the dialogue and acting are above average for the genre. (Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith would also co-write Legally Blonde.) I would've of course liked to have seen more of Allison Janney as Ms. Perky, the guidance counselor who writes bodice-rippers on her office laptop. The Seattle setting and the soundtrack are also uber-'90s, from the sight of the Space Needle and the sound of Bare Naked Ladies' "One Week" onward. There are a lot of Renaissance/Shakespeare touches in the film, from sets to dialogue to last names. If I can't rate the movie higher, it's that it never reaches the dizzy heights of Clueless or Romy & Michele. However, it will look like, well, Shakespeare compared to the next movie....
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