Two or Three Things I Know About Him

10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy directed by Gil Junger (in his directorial debut) from a screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. Loosely inspired by and based on William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew, it stars Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Larry Miller, Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Susan May Pratt, and Gabrielle Union. In the film, high-school student Cameron James (Gordon-Levitt) is unable to date Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) until her asocial feminist sister Kat (Stiles) dates, leading to Cameron recruiting bad boy classmate Patrick Verona (Ledger) to date Kat. Development on 10 Things I Hate About You began once Lutz and Smith completed the screenplay in November 1997, with Junger attached to direct soon after. He sought to cast lesser profile actors for the film's lead roles; Stiles joined after several actors declined the role, while Ledger was cast three-and-a-half week prior to the start of principal photography, which took place between June and August 1998 in Tacoma and Seattle. 10 Things I Hate About You was theatrically released in the United States on 31 March 1999, by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its screenplay and Stiles', Ledger's and Gordon-Levitt's performances: the film became their breakthrough roles. It grossed $53.5 million worldwide. 10 Things I Hate About You gained praise in later years for its themes and characters, becoming considered a cult classic and as one of the best teen romantic comedies of all time.