It was Heath Ledger, not exactly him but his strikingly-handsome Aussie accent, which made me watch 10 Things I Hate About You last week. But even before that last-minute decision, there's already a few signs lurking here and there, somewhere lowkey, across my consciousness, that was telling me to go and watch it. 

The first sign was probably when I was dead scrolling through Twitter. It was a weekend afternoon and I was set to slouch in and do something unproductive. This only means that I can switch from one application to another and just keep scrolling aimlessly until I could finally feel my eyes shedding tears on its corner. But that day I was not crying when I was stopped by this retweet of a follower of mine. There was no actually a comment above the post but just pictures of that scene in 10 things I Hate About You which have captions on it. But, no, it was not that caption particularly that has me convinced to at least be curious about it. It was the eyes of Heath Ledger, I don't know, but there was something in that eyes... and on that scene which I just had a glimpse at first on that retweeted post, I felt it was not just a lame and formulaic cliché film. However, despite the telling eyes of that guy, I was not able to watch it still. I was not yet in that right mood. So hours passed by without notice and I was already in my bed. I was lying there hopelessly and it was night already and I haven't decided yet on how I was going to spend the remaining hours until midnight. Friday is still the best day to sleep late without pressure because Saturday means one day before the Sunday which is the day before weekdays. Damn, I loathe Monday that much!

Anyways, since I finished being bored with Instagram, I decided then to surf through YouTube. I was welcomed with bunch of videos about random stuff which I just watched without clicking it actually. I just really consume it that way now, not bothered about having it no sounds. It was not really long after when I was stopped again by a thumbnail of a familiar video. Yes, it was Heath Ledger again behind a striking text in front that says "Patrick and Kat something". I could not remember the whole exact text. And since, it was already night and I was already in the mood to finally focus on something for a longer duration, I decided to stimulate my growing curiosity by clicking the video. There, I saw few clips, one of which, was that scene I saw from that retweeted post on my Twitter feed. I have liked the scene... and Heath Ledger's eyes. So then, the next thing happened, I was already enjoying the film from the start unto its last minutes. 

Admittedly, I was not a fan of any teen romance-comedy film. I could not even name any of which that is a no-brainer for everyone. I am not sure as well if ever I already watched one and if ever I do, I could not remember anything at all. Any film that falls under that category, I find them usually smarmy and half-baked in a deliberate sense. I am guilty also to admit that the story is lacking but conscious enough to push through its same old plots which are being traded around with other films of the same genre. I guess that could be the reason why I rejected that moment three or fours years ago when I already consumed the twenty-minute run of 10 things I Hate About You but then decided to quit because I thought I would not like the show. 

To set things straight and honest, I thought it was lame and cringey. To soften the blow, I was wrong for thinking that way all these years of not trying to watch it first. Perhaps, I have already watched such films of that genre, but those might have just passed by my memory the moment I finished watching it. But with 10 Things I Hate About You, I had a different experience. I could not deny that the story was predictable but since I was watching an old school movie and it was a romantic comedy, I understood that I should not expect it to be that philosophical or complex. However, I was taken aback sometimes with their dialogues. They sounded like they were reciting lines from Shakespeare's drama, which is partially true since I learned after that this film was drawn from the story of The Taming the Shrew which I have been hearing a lot on school when I was still studying but too lazy enough to read it. After giving it time to grow on me, I did not expect that I was already halfway watching it and was silently enjoying it already. This film might not be the best in terms of plot-wise but for some weird reason the scenes that I thought I would flinch at were actually the scenes that I mused on. I never thought, as I watching it, that I would buy its humor and sometimes clumsy sequence. To be honest, I did not only buy it once but twice and was inclined then to do it one more if only I did not come across an American comedy series which I am currently watching as of writing.

10 Things I Hate About You was a 1999 film, a year older than me. It felt weird watching movies older than me because one of the things I could think about is: I haven't born yet when it was released. And enjoying it despite the gap and whatever it entails with is very cool for me. Of course, I did not come to like it for no obvious reasons. This film might not be different to a myriad of rom-com films but it is an all-era appropriate. It can stand the test of time and can still be as effective to youngsters of each coming generation perhaps. 

The actors are all likeable. 

I like it that they did not make the character of Patrick overtly a bad boy. He is mischievous but not to a fault. It was great seeing such characters that are not forced to embody excessively what they are supposed to embody. With Patrick, he dresses up like a bad boy but he is not exactly rude and someone who beats up people for the sake of his image. I apologize right now if I will mention again his Aussie accent because I really have to, it's flawless!

Initially, it was Heath Ledger who invited me to watch this film. However, it was Julia Stiles who made me stay until the last minute. She has a conviction to her role and does justify the character she has to play. I like her snotty expression and even the way she delivers her sarcasm. She knows herself and is aware of her capabilities. But more than that, I even like her more on her progression towards the latter parts of the story. It was her, that moment when she was reciting her poem, that significantly hold the film more steady. She was the game changer and she was Kat Stratford. 

Can I say how cute was the young Gordon-Levitt? However, I could say he was kind of as characterless as his other half Oleynik. How I wish their characters were explored more especially Gordon-Levitt's because he is more than beyond his romantic pursuit to Bianca Stratford. While with Bianca, I wish she was explained as the girl who is dressed strategically in a summer dress and not only displayed like that. She is young and cute but whenever I try to recall her in the film, I see more of her wanting to be involved for the sake of normalcy as a teenager. I also want the idea that like Kat, audience will also be informed of her dreams and her inner struggles which were not showed sadly until the ending. 

Overall, I was really taken aback by how effective this film was for me. Since 10 Things I Hate About You is an old film, there are already films with the same cliched storytelling which I watched first before it and did not like. I felt those lack vital sparks which I have surprisingly seen in this film. There are scenes that I would have flinched and cringed at but it was bought because the characters were likeable to me. They had the energy that I like and despite that it was predictable it still worked on me. This is the kind of film that would not exhaust you to think of the impossibilities but would like to settle you in a fun and lively ride where you would just watch it comfortably.

This film is loveable. You don't have and can't think about 10 things to hate it. Instead, all I could think about is the 10 things I love about this film.

1. One of the first appearances in the film was her. She was looking in all seriousness at her screen and I thought she was a stern woman. And I was right, I just thought. 

This is the art of solitude.