This Movie is Rated PG13 – For Crude Sex-Related Humor and Dialogue, Alcohol and Drug-Related Scenes, All Involving Teens
I usually try to steer clear of most “teen” movies, however, I made an exception for this one. First off it stars a couple of actors that are on my top 10 list; Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (ok, am I crazy or do they look like they could be brothers). I also like that the main female character, Kat, is a strong person. She has her own opinions and is willing to stand up for them, regardless of what anyone else thinks. The opening scene with her driving in her car blasting Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” sums up her character quite well.
It does have some of the typical teen movie problems, such as, stupid humor and ridiculous high school cliques. However, there are enough good things to out weigh this. Strong lead actors, lead characters that you actually care about, and a slightly different take on a teen love story.
This is Heath Ledger’s first American movie (but he does get to use his Australian accent, yeah!). He exudes charm, warmth and sincerity in his portrayal of Patrick and has a smile that can just light up a room. He’s such a natural actor. I have to tell you, I was devastated when I heard he died. I have DVDs of almost everything he has starred in. He was so young and I know he would have had many more phenomenal performances to contribute. His death is a great loss to the film community.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely adorable as Cameron. He is so sweet and vulnerable, and of course, falls for a girl out of his reach. He and David Krumholtz (Michael) make a great team, as they work together to win her over.
Kat is played by Julia Stiles. It’s refreshing to have a lead female character, be beautiful (without being slutty), intelligent and strong. Julia does an excellent job bringing Kat to life. Heath and Julia are wonderful together.
I have to ask, what’s the deal with Heath Ledger and Spaghetti Os? In this movie he talks about eating them and in another movie “The Order” one of the characters calls him Spaghetti O. Coincidence … or is there a story there????
Some of my favorite quotes:
Mr. Morgan – “Pipe down Chachi”
Kat – “Expressing my opinion is not a terrorist action.”
Michael – “What we need is a backer.”
Cameron – “What’s that.”
Michael – “Someone with money who’s stupid.”
Cameron – “Kat likes pretty guys.”
Patrick – “Are you telling my I’m not a pretty guy.”
Kat – “She’s meeting some bikers, big ones, full of sperm.”
Ok, since I live in the Seattle area I just have to tell you that the absolutely breathtaking high school in the movie is a real public school (Stadium High School in Tacoma). It has an incredible view of the water too. The troll is a real sculpture located under the Fremont Bridge in Seattle. The place where they are doing the paint war thing is Gasworks Park on Lake Union in Seattle.
The band playing at the end of the movie is “Letters to Cleo”. Be sure to watch the credits or you will miss the outtakes.
Jan
Following is additional information about the movie that contains spoilers. If you don’t want to be spoiled don’t read any further.
Some of my favorite scenes:
Patrick singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, complete with dance moves and a marching band. I totally love this scene … the rewind button is my friend.
Kat backing into Joey’s car after he blocks her in. Aren’t there times when you want to do something like that.
Patrick’s pep talk to Cameron at the party. It shows that Patrick’s rep as a bad boy is wrong. He is really a caring and compassionate person.
Kat’s poem at the end of the movie always brings tears to my eyes.
