One of the quintessential teen romance movies from the late 90s is 10 Things I Hate About You, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger as Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona, respectively. In the film, Kat is extremely smart but abrasive to her classmates, meaning she doesn’t attract a lot of boys. This becomes frustrating to her sister Bianca, as she can only date a boy if Kat has a boyfriend too. Soon a plan is thrown together to try and land Kat a boyfriend, right as Patrick Verona arrives. Kat may finally let her guard down to fall in love, and allow her sister a chance to have a boyfriend.
While the movie covers topics of love, it also delves into the coming-of-age genre as these high school students try to find themselves. If you enjoy movies that cover coming-of-age or just delve into interesting love matches, then you need to check out these five movies like 10 Things I Hate About You.
5. She’s the Man (2006)
Amanda Bynes stars as Viola Hastings in She’s the Man, our fifth selection for movies like 10 Things I Hate About You. When Viola runs into trouble with her dreams of playing soccer, she jumps at the chance to pose as her brother Sebastian when he ditches school. Viola finally gets to play soccer but runs into problems when she falls for the star soccer player Duke, who happens to be crushing on Olivia, who now has fallen for Sebastian. Yikes.
The main connection between She’s the Man and 10 Things I Hate About You is their complicated love lives. Whether it’s due to love triangles or having an abrasive personality, these two films know how to untangle those knots.
–IMDb score: 6.4
4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Even though the cast may be older, there are still some great similarities in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, our fourth selection for movies like 10 Things I Hate About You. On one side, Benjamin Barry an advertising executive and ladies’ man bets that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days, to win a major campaign for a diamond merchant. On the other side, Andie Anderson is writing a story about how to lose a guy in 10 days as a bet with her boss, to write substantial stories. Will either side win?
The movie brings to light complicated relationships, while also playing on the hidden agendas of each party. Even though these characters are older, they still have some growing up to do in the love department.
–IMDb score: 6.5
3. Easy A (2010)
High school is known for its drama, and gossip can often run like wildfire throughout the building. In our third selection Easy A, in our movies like 10 Things I Hate About You list, lying about your love life will get one girl into a messy situation. Olive (Emma Stone) is a clean-cut high school girl, who lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys. Soon the white lie has spread around the school, and Olive’s life quickly turns into a parallel of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. At first devastated, Olive realizes she can use the misinformation to advance her social and financial standing.
Love lives are not easy, especially in high school. While Olive is not in a relationship with anyone, she still has to deal with the backfire when a white lie goes wrong.
–IMDb score: 7.0
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2. Five Feet Apart (2019)
Ranking second is Five Feet Apart on our movies like 10 Things I Hate About You list. The main barrier between love birds Stella and Will is not drama or other people, rather it is the diseases they carry. Both teens have cystic fibrosis, meaning they must avoid physical or close contact to prevent giving each other their bacteria. While the doctors and treatments might say they need to stay apart, the two fall in love and intensify their temptation to throw away the rules in the name of love.
Stella and Will do not have to combat high school issues like drama or parental concerns, rather they need to watch out for their health. It’s an interesting way to look at a couple not supposed to be together, as the only thing stopping them is the illness they carry.
–IMDb score: 7.2
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1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Last but not least on our movies like 10 Things I Hate About You list is The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky. Charlie is a 15-year-old introvert struggling with his friend’s death and tumultuous past as he enters the world of high school. As he tries to navigate this rough environment, Charlie is taken under the wings of two seniors, Sam and Patrick. They show him how to enjoy the moment and the real world without letting others bring you down.
There may be no blatant love in this story, but as Charlie figures out how to live again, he grows into a new person. This was mainly possible due to the love in Sam and Patrick’s friendship to him, as he clawed his way out of a dark period in his life.
–IMDb score: 7.9
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