10 Things I Hate About You: 10 things we love to hate about this film

Patrick’s serenade

It’s a widely loved scene, and while it hold a place in many of our hearts, Patrick’s serenade on the football field is … not actually that great. Public displays of affection can be cute but are also kind of creepy. There’s an added pressure to accept whatever proposal is on offer just because other people are watching.

Patrick’s rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” is a cultural phenomenon, and I can’t disagree that it might be one of the greatest scenes in any film, ever. However, he completely disregards Kat’s feelings by putting on a huge (literal) song and dance. She doesn’t like public displays of affection, and everything we are told about her character points to her absolutely cringing if someone were to do this for her. Yes, it’s funny and seems sweet, but it doesn’t make any sense for Kat’s character to actually enjoy this stunt.

Arguably, this is Patrick putting himself on the line to show Kat that he is serious about her. As he sings Frankie Valli’s classic, he is far from the bad boy drilling holes in textbooks that he is at the start of the film.

However, there’s a knowing nod to the audience here. Patrick might be acting the part, but we all know that he’s doing all of this for a nice stack of money. It falsifies his action, which only makes it worse when Kat finds out what has really been going on all along. This might look like the ultimate romantic gesture, but it really isn’t.