History YMMV / TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The play takes a jab at the Liberal Unionist Party, who had split from the Liberal Party out of opposition to Irish Home Rule and formed a coalition with the Tories. Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he is a Liberal Unionist because he has no politics, and she replies, "Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us. Or come in the evening, at any rate." All this will likely go over the head of modern audiences.

* ToughActToFollow: Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell cemented the way the character would be played for nearly half a century, but the 1982 production starring ''Creator/DameJudiDench'' as Bracknell changed the view on her as a LargeHam.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Jack plans to claim that his brother Ernest died of disease in a Paris hotel. This is exactly how the play's author, Creator/OscarWilde, would die five years after the play premiered.

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: The whole play is composed of these.

* ValuesDissonance: The play ends with Jack and Gwendolyn getting married, but no attention is made to the fact that [[spoiler: [[KissingCousins they are cousins.]]]] Though to a modern view it might add to the hilarity instead.

*** The LargeHam delivery by Dame Edith Evans in the 1952 film has taken on a life of its own on Website/YouTube.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The 2002 film reveals at the end that [[spoiler:Jack is lying about his real name being Ernest. Lady Bracknell finds out but lets it go due to how happy he makes her daughter.

** To a lesser extent, "To misplace one parent might be regarded as a misfortune, to misplace both seems like carelessness!" is often used by PrivateEye for political scandals, Mad Libs-style.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: The whole play is composed of these.

* HoYay: Unsurprisingly, given the [[OscarWilde Author]]. [[spoiler: Which quickly becomes squicky at the end.]]

* MemeticMutation: Lady Bracknell's incredulous "A '''''handbag?!!'''''" has almost entered British English as a stock phrase.
** The LargeHam delivery by Dame Edith Evans in the 1952 film has taken on a life of its own on Website/YouTube.
*** To a lesser extent, "To misplace one parent might be regarded as a misfortune, to misplace both seems like carelessness!" is often used by PrivateEye for political scandals, MadLibs-style.

** The LargeHam delivery by Dame Edith Evans in the 1952 film has taken on a life of its own on {{YouTube}}.

* HoYay: [[YourMileageMayVary Yes.]] Unsurprisingly, given the [[OscarWilde Author]]. [[spoiler: Which quickly becomes squicky (though, YMMV) at the end.]]

-->It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is [[WillTheyOrWontThey uncertainty]].