A tale of two sisters, one a party goer, the other a free thinking no nonsense kinda gal. To take out the party goer, boy has to get a date for the other sister, which he does by paying a free thinking no nonsense kinda guy (played by Heath Ledger).

They go out and, eventually, they fall in love.

"Now, first thing: You must realize this is basically a Shakespeare thing before you sit down to watch it or you will think it is complete and utter shit."

"The up chuck reflex! Oh, how that brought back fond, but sticky, memories of my High School substance abuse sessions! All I know now is that I still cannot stick together the smallest pieces of paper without the room going round in circles! Oops!"

"Lessons in life 543: If a teacher flashes a student that's an offense, but if the student flashes a teacher that's porn. OK written that down. Next."

"An even better performance of singing a song to woo a girl than Tom Cruise in Top Gun. A triumph, with just as much vest popping muscle, but none of that mucking about in jets."

"Loved the pregnancy suit. Thank goodness she took it off before going out."

"Not a rain cloud in sight! - Oh, Blue Remembered Hills of my youth! Shit, the literary gene is taking me over, bitch, fix me a beef and pickles sandwich at once!"

"I am not, nor have I ever been, a Shakespeare fan, however the sexiness of this production made up for a lot, as did the music."

"Girlfriend: Get your life back in order bitch."

At a party she is told that he was paid to go out with her. She is upset.

She reads a poem in class - 10 things I hate about you, which ends, basically, I don't hate you at all, babe. He gives her a guitar to set up her own band, they hug and make up. It all ends happily ever after in the sunshine.

Oh, a populist rendition of a Shakespeare tale, acted with sexy chicks in short skirts and hunky guys in vests. MMhh! I was ensconced in the moment and enjoyed this movie with great immensement.

The movie is quite a troublesome vixen. It risks angering both the teen brigade and Shakespeare lovers but I care not for these turgid extremists who may twitter against the essence of this voluptuous enterprise.

The end product is a movie of wit and young supple flesh the likes we rarely see but when we do it sends us into paroxysms of rhapsody. In my top ten Shakespeare type movies of the last 10 years. A total sunshine filled by the seaside joy. Awesome, dudes and dudesses!

Authentic Shakespeare fare: cookies (biscuits) to break your teeth, 85% proof gin and chopped logs and rats on the fire.

In the 'been out all night partying, dude, but now have got to study this' position.

The trouble with these modern Shakespeare versions is the lack of authentic Shakespearean pantaloons.

Away with you, cool slacked dudes! Welcome home oily bearded fatties with skulls stuck to their hands!

Never let anyone make you feel like you are not worthy of things that you want.

Be yourself, don't follow everyone else mindlessly.

Parrots will love the movie because of the teen-hair which, given half the chance, they would like to peck mercilessly. Following this movie, they will sleep well for the next month and eat only half of their normal amounts of seed, saving you up to 20c.

Dogs will just not get that this is Shakespeare, they may prefer to blow into their water bowls rather than drink it, beware.

Cats could try to hide any of the dog's play toys under the sofa.

Study hard at school or you wont enjoy shit like this.

6 minutes.

An Olde English Shakespeare in a shake and watch snowstorm souvenir thingie.

This is a particular criticism of this movie - the lack of detailed licky lust. Simple lip on lip placing is no match for the quintessential oral lip on lip 'juicy-wobble' perfected by the bard in his shows for Queen Elizabeth I.

Fasooth! Nope.

A sunny skied, good looking, enjoyable romp in the complex Shakespeare world we wish had existed when we had to study it at school. A rock Shakespeare. Thoroughly enjoyable once you get into the swing of the modern language Shakespeare styling.

October 21 , 2002