Mostly though, the film’s continued appeal comes down to Stiles, whose deadpan, earthy performance elevates it beyond its cliched counterparts. Sure, Paige’s monologues about her life goals would probably make her a tedious friend to be around IRL, but in Stiles’ hands, she also feels like a real person, which goes a long way to making us root for her. It’s that no-nonsense everygirl vibe that had made her such a defining actor of the early aughts in films like 10 Things I Hate About You, Save The Last Dance, and my personal favorite, Mona Lisa Smile (I don’t need to hear opinions on this). But those same qualities also contributed to her disappearance from the mainstream as she started to age out of ingenue roles. Stiles was ahead of her time, a performer who played complex teens and then couldn't find the same kind of adult roles as she got older.