"10 Things I Hate About You" is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, is a modernization of William Shakespeares comedy "The Taming of the Shrew," retold in a late-1990s American high school setting. The film used many of the plays character names and put a modern twist on the plot. The basic plot of the film is the same as the play, with Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) unable to date until Kat (Julia Stiles) does. Therefore, Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who wants to date Bianca, convinces Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to ask out said sister. Through this process, despite the odds, Kat changes, and Patrick and Kat develop real feelings for each other. The film has since developed a cult following and is considered a classic in the teen film genre.