History YMMV / SenseAndSensibility

** Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson play siblings in ''Film/LoveActually''. Emma Thompson is also married to Alan Rickman in the same movie.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Emma Thompson's Best Adapted Screenplay win makes her the only person to have won Academy Awards for both writing and acting. (She got Best Actress for ''Howard's End''.)
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Patrick Doyle's soundtrack, especially the main theme, which is reprised multiple times and comes to a spectacular crescendo in the wedding scene.

* RetroactiveRecognition: John Willoughby is played by Dominic Cooper, who broke into the mainstream with his appearances as Howard Stark in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' and ''Series/AgentCarter'' and starring in ''Series/{{Preacher}}''.

-->''"She had seen enough of [Mrs. Ferrars's] '''pride''', her meanness, and her determined '''[[PrideAndPrejudice prejudice]]''' against herself..."''

* FauxSymbolism: On the commentary, Emma Thompson praises the symbolism of Brandon giving Marianne a knife when she's gathering reeds. She cheerfully goes on that she doesn't know ''what'' it symbolizes, it's just good symbolism.

** Edward's persisting in the engagement is portrayed as the honorable thing to do. However, the modern reader can't help noticing that Edward's stance would lead him to a life-bonding contract with an individual he no longer cared about. The engagement is also technically void (made by two minors without their parents' consent), meaning it's not legally binding; Edward sticks to it because he feels morally bound. As one fanfiction writer puts it, "I made a promise when I was a teenager, and it is only honourable that I be bound by this promise for all eternity." With that said, Edward's breaking off the engagement ''after'' its reveal would have ruined Lucy's reputation and destroyed her chance of ever marrying, let alone marrying well. Given her financial situation, that would be a sentence to ruin. Only women in the Regency era could break off an engagement, and even then it was a risk; Lucy only got away with it because she married Robert immediately thereafter.

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Howard]] [[Series/AgentCarter Stark]] is John Willoughby. He's still as philandering as ever.

* ToughActToFollow: The series had a challenge to be remarkable in the face of an Oscar-winning film starring the likes of Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. Andrew Davies said one of his goals was to make viewers forget about the movie while they were watching the series, and Hattie Morahan (Elinor) chose not to watch it so she wouldn't have Thompson's performance in her head. Critical reception mostly praised the adaptation as strong in its own right, but occasionally tended towards descriptions like "[[DamnedByFaintPraise nothing glaringly wrong]]" or a good companion adaptation to Lee's.

* EsotericHappyEnding: Possibly Marianne and the Colonel to a modern audience due to ValuesDissonance, similar to Jo's fate in ''LittleWomen'' but with less evidence of ShipToShipCombat.

** Girls of a more-or-les high decent status are considered able to marry ''much'' younger than in modern times. When sixteen-year-old Marianne objects that Colonel Brandon (35) is old enough to be her father, this is treated as a sign of her immaturity. her own mother later says that it's better to marry an older man whose character and position in the world are fixed. (There's also the fact that Brandon is attracted to her because she resembles his LostLenore whom he knew since they were kids and fell in love as teenagers.) Willoughby's crime of impregnating and abandoning Eliza condemns him, but not the fact that she's even younger than Marianne.

** Girls of a more-or-les high decent status are considered able to marry ''much'' younger than in modern times. When sixteen-year-old Marianne objects that Colonel Brandon (35) is old enough to be her father, this is treated as a sign of her immaturity and Mrs. Jennings says that it's better to marry an older man whose character and position in the world are fixed. (There's also the fact that Brandon is attracted to her because she resembles his teenage ward who resembles her mother, his LostLenore.) Willoughby's crime of impregnating and abandoning Eliza condemns him, but not the fact that she's even younger than Marianne.

* StrangledByTheRedString: The novel never really explains why Edward and Elinor fell in love, focusing much more on Marianne's romantic relationships. Creator/EmmaThompson went out of her way to rectify this in the film, to the point where many fans consider the film superior, at least in this regard; the 2008 miniseries takes its cue from Thompson's screenplay, and is much the better for it.

** Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson play siblings in ''LoveActually''. Emma Thompson is also married to Alan Rickman in the same movie.

** Girls are considered able to marry ''much'' younger than in modern times. When sixteen-year-old Marianne objects that Colonel Brandon (35) is old enough to be her father, this is treated as a sign of her immaturity and Mrs. Jennings says that it's better to marry an older man whose character and position in the world are fixed. (There's also the fact that Brandon is attracted to her because she resembles his teenage ward who resembles her mother, his LostLenore.) Willoughby's crime of impregnating and abandoning Eliza condemns him, but not the fact that she's even younger than Marianne.
* {{Wangst}}: Deliberate -- Marianne's response to her romantic woes begins to take on this edge, which to her credit she eventually comes to realize.
%% * TheWoobie

** Edward's persisting in the engagement is portrayed as the honorable thing to do. However, the modern reader can't help noticing that Edward's stance would lead him to a life-bonding contract with an individual he no longer cared about. The engagement is also technically void (made by two minors without their parents' consent), meaning it's not legally binding; Edward sticks to it because he feels morally bound. As one fanfiction writer puts it, "I made a promise when I was a teenager, and it is only honourable that I be bound by this promise for all eternity." With that said, Edward's breaking off the engagement after its reveal would have absolutely ''ruined'' Lucy's reputation and destroyed her chance of ever marrying, let alone marrying well. Given her financial situation, that would be a sentence to ruin. Only women in the Regency era could break off an engagement, and even then it was a risk; Lucy only got away with it because she married Robert immediately thereafter.
** Sixteen-year-old Marianne's objection to Colonel Brandon on the basis of his age (she herself says he's old enough to be her father) would not be considered a sign of her immaturity today. (Getting married as a teenager itself goes without saying.) Mrs. Jennings points to his age as a major point in his favor, since young men are more likely to shift in character as they establish their position in the world.
** On the flip side, thirty-something Colonel Brandon's age would not be considered a sign in his favor for sixteen-year-old Marianne's hand today. In fact, Colonel Brandon being attracted to a teenage girl because she resembles his teenage ward, who resembles her mother, who was the sweetheart of his youth, and who could have been his wife had she not been forced to marry another, would be considered more {{Squick}}y today and less sentimental and romantic. The 1995 film ages Marianne up accordingly.
** Continuing in the age dissonance, Willoughby's is thoroughly castigated for the crime of impregnating and then abandoning young Eliza, but not for the fact that she was fifteen at the time.

-->''"She had seen enough of [Lucy's] '''pride''', her meanness, and her determined '''[[PrideAndPrejudice prejudice]]''' against herself..."''

** Sixteen-and-a-half Marianne's objection to Colonel Brandon on the basis of his age (she herself says he's old enough to be her father) would not be considered a sign of her immaturity today. (Getting married as a teenager itself goes without saying.) Mrs. Jennings points to his age as a major point in his favor, since young men are more likely to shift in character as they establish their position in the world.

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Howard]] [[Series/AgentCarter Stark]] is John Willoughby. He's still as philandering as ever.

!![[Series/SenseAndSensiblity The 2008 miniseries]] provides examples of:

----

** On the flip side, thirty-something Colonel Brandon's age would not be considered a sign in his favor for sixteen-year-old Marianne's hand today. In fact, Colonel Brandon being attracted to a teenage girl because she resembles his teenage ward, who resembles her mother, who was the sweetheart of his youth, who could have been his wife (and he the father of her daughter) had she not been forced to marry another, and was also his cousin, both of whom remind him of her, would be considered more {{Squick}}y today and less sentimental and romantic. The 1995 film ages Marianne up accordingly.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** [[Series/{{House}} Dr. House]] is the long-suffering husband of [[Film/HarryPotter Dolores Umbridge]]?!
** And [[Film/{{Titanic 1997}} Rose DeWitt Bukater]] is the sister to [=Nanny McPhee=]? Or was she [[Film/HarryPotter Professor Sybil Trelawney]]? Ah no, she's [[MuchAdoAboutNothing Beatrice]]!
** Marianne hooks up with [[Film/DieHard Hans Gruber]] a.k.a. [[Creator/AlanRickman Severus Snape]], while her sister falls for Charles from ''Film/FourWeddingsAndAFuneral''.
** Their mother is Madam Pomfrey, and the nice old lady who takes them to London is the (original) Fat Lady from Gryffindor Tower, who lives with Cornelius Fudge. The Film/HarryPotter movie sets were practically a reunion party for the cast of this film.
** Their bitchy sister-in-law is [[TheYoungVictoria Queen Adelaide]]. Or [[LordPeterWimsey Harriet Vane.]] And their half-brother is [[TheVicarOfDibley Hugo Horton]].

* TearJerker:
** Elinor's desperate speech to Marianne when Marianne learns that Edward has been engaged to Lucy Steele. From someone normally so reserved, it's absolutely ''shattering''.
-->'''Elinor''': Believe me, Marianne, had I not been bound to silence, I could have produced proof enough of a broken heart even for you!
** When the doctor tells Elinor she should prepare for the worst, Elinor breaks down at Marianne's bedside and begs her not to die--as much as they're different, Elinor couldn't live without her.
** It's hard to sit through Edward's speech to Elinor at the end ("my heart is and always will be yours") without crying.

** Edward's persisting in the engagement is portrayed as the honorable thing to do. However, the modern reader can't help noticing that Edward's stance would lead him to a life-bonding contract with an individual he no longer cared about. The engagement is also technically void (made by two minors without their parents' consent), meaning it's not legally binding; Edward sticks to it because he feels morally bound. As one fanfiction writer puts it, "I made a promise when I was a teenager, and it is only honourable that I be bound by this promise for all eternity." With that said, Edward's breaking off the engagement would have absolutely ''ruined'' Lucy's reputation forever and destroyed her chance of ever marrying, let alone marrying well. Given her financial situation, that would be a sentence to ruin. Only women in the Regency era could break off an engagement, and even then it was a risk; Lucy only got away with it because she married Robert immediately thereafter.

** On the flip side, thirty-something Colonel Brandon's age would not be considered a sign in his favor for sixteen-year-old Marianne's hand today. In fact, Colonel Brandon being attracted to a teenage girl because she resembles his teenage ward, who resembles her mother, who was the sweetheart of his youth, who could have been his wife (and he the father of her daughter) had she not been forced to marry another, both of whom remind him of her, would be considered more {{Squick}}y today and less sentimental and romantic.

* TearJerker: Elinor's desperate speech to Marianne when Marianne learns that Edward has been engaged to Lucy Steele. From someone normally so reserved, it's absolutely ''shattering''.

** This troper cannot sit through Edward's speech to Elinor at the end ("my heart is and always will be yours") without crying.

* ValuesDissonance: In the movie, Colonel Brandon was forbidden from marrying his cousin Elizabeth because she had no money. In the book, she was forced to marry his brother specifically because she ''did'' have money - and it had to stay with the oldest son to keep it in the family.

-->''"She had seen enough of her '''pride''', her meanness, and her determined '''[[PrideAndPrejudice prejudice]]''' against herself..."''

** Edward's persisting in the engagement is portrayed as the honorable thing to do. However, the modern reader can't help noticing that Edward's stance would lead him to a life-bonding contract with an individual he no longer cared about. The engagement is also technically void (made by two minors without their parents' consent), meaning it's not legally binding; Edward sticks to it because he feels morally bound. As one fanfiction writer puts it, "I made a promise I was a teenager, and it is only honourable that I be bound by this promise for all eternity". With that said, Edward's breaking off the engagement would have absolutely ''ruined'' Lucy's reputation forever and destroyed her chance of ever marrying, let alone marrying well. Given her financial situation, that would be a sentence to ruin. Only women in the Regency era could break off an engagement, and even then it was a risk; Lucy only got away with it because she married Robert immediately thereafter.

-->'''Elinor''': Believe me, Marianne, had I not been bound to silence I could have produced proof enough of a broken heart even for you!

-->''"A woman of [[{{Persuasion}} seven-and-twenty]]," said Marianne, after pausing a moment, "can never hope to feel or inspire affection again...''

** And [[{{Titanic}} Rose De Witt Bukater]] is the sister to [=Nanny McPhee=]? Or was she [[Film/HarryPotter Professor Sybil Trelawney]]? Ah no, she's [[MuchAdoAboutNothing Beatrice]]!
** Marianne hooks up with [[Film/DieHard Hans Gruber]] a.k.a. [[Creator/AlanRickman Severus Snape]], while her sister falls for Charles from ''FourWeddingsAndAFuneral''.

** Sixteen-and-a-half Marianne's objection to Colonel Brandon on the basis of his age (she herself says he's old enough to be her father) would not be considered a sign of her immaturity today. Getting married as a teenager itself goes without saying.