Austen establishes this as one of the most sarcastic novels in the English language near the start with this description of John Dashwood:
He was not an ill-disposed young man, unless to be rather cold hearted and selfish is to be ill-disposed.
Barton Cottage is found to be quite comfortable and habitable for the Dashwoods, but the Lemony Narrator finds it wanting in the essential qualities of a cottage: "The building was regular, the roof was tiled, the window shutters were not painted green, nor were the walls covered with honeysuckles."
Marianne declaring that at her "time of life" her opinions on certain subjects have been fixed by experience. She's sixteen.
When the Misses Dashwoods first meet the Misses Steeles in the nursery at Barton Park and Lady Middleton is singing the praises of her spoiled brats.
"And here is my sweet little Annamaria," she added, tenderly caressing a little girl of three years old, who had not made a noise for the last two minutes; "And she is always so gentle and quiet—Never was there such a quiet little thing!"
The exchange between Elinor and Mr. Palmer when he finds them in town.
"I thought you were both in Devonshire," said he. "Did you?" replied Elinor. "When do you go back again?" "I do not know." And thus ended their discourse.
Lady Middleton and Fanny Dashwood find excellent company with one another because they're both quite self-centered and insipid.
Fanny Dashwood is quite put out when her sisters-in-law arrive quite on time, because she'd been looking forward to complaining over the inconvenience of their being late.
After being talked at for a while by Robert Ferrars, Elinor placidly agrees to everything he says, "for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition."
Since Edward Ferrars has essentially become a Runaway Fiancé, his mother simply plans for his intended, Miss Morton, to possibly marry his brother Robert instead. The CMoF comes from John Dashwood's incredulous reaction to Elinor wondering if Miss Morton gets a say in this.
Robert Ferrars and his toothpick case!
Who is taller — Harry Dashwood or William Middleton? The world must know!
Lucy Steele can hardly make up her mind on this capital point.
Meanwhile, we can infer without too much risk that Marianne Dashwood really doesn't care.
When Lucy is making a dramatic scene about how terrified she is to be meeting Mrs. Ferrars, Elinor considers suggesting that Lucy would feel better if she broke off her engagement; then, instead of meeting Lucy's future mother-in-law, she'd be meeting Miss Morton's.
Elinor instead tells Lucy she feels bad for her. Lucy, who had literally been wailing, "Pity me!", is irritated to realize that Miss Dashwood actually does pity her, since she "hoped at least to be an object of irrepressible envy to Elinor."
Edward enters to find he's now alone in the same room as the fiancee whom he no longer loves and the woman he actually loves. All 3 of them know how things stand between them, all 3 of them have to act as if they know nothing, and Elinor is the only one who finds the strength to talk.
Thompson's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, which she also won for Best Adapted Screenplay; rather than give a real speech, she reads to the audience what she imagines Jane Austen might have written in her diary about attending the award ceremony. The speech is viewable on the DVD.
Hunter S. Thompson: I couldn't believe it, I was wrapped up in this ancient goddamned thing. Goddamn, I must be in a unique mood of some kind because I got completely into it.
Marianne takes to playing mournful songs after Mr. Dashwood's passing. Elinor asks her to play something else for their mother's sake—so Marianne switches to a different but equally melancholy tune.
Elinor: I meant something less mournful, dearest!
When Elinor fails to coax Margaret out of hiding, Edward comes in and - guessing that Margaret is an avid reader (she particularly loves atlases) - starts asking for maps to confirm wildly inaccurate "facts," each inaccuracy funnier than the last. It works in getting Margaret out of hiding to berate them.
The way Edward figured out she was there was funny too. She hides under a couch in the library after Edward and his sister walk in, and he sees her pulling the atlas that she was reading with her. When his sister says that she plans to tear down some trees on the property to build a Grecian temple, Margaret lets out a muffled scream. Edward covers for her by going "Mmm!" in a high-pitched voice as though agreeing with Fanny's plan.
Shortly afterwards, Edward and Margaret are play-fighting with sticks on the lawn. They notice Elinor watching and stop to wave to her, and Elinor and Edward have some significant eye contact. Margaret promptly takes advantage of his distraction to "stab" him in the stomach.
Sir John and Mrs. Jennings trying to guess the name and occupation of Elinor's "beau" leads to this exchange.
Margaret: He's of no profession at all. Sir John:Oh, a gentleman!
When Willoughby disappears, Marianne throws a fit that Elinor tries to calm with a cup of tea. The scene quickly dissolves into three of the Dashwood women - Marianne (upset over her boyfriend's disappearance), the mother (upset that her daughters can't find happiness), and Margaret (upset that Edward's not coming to court Elinor) - storming off to separate parts of the house to slam doors and cry. Elinor, having no better course of action, sits down on the stairwell and sips the tea.note No sense in letting good hot tea go to waste.
Fanny's reaction to finding out who Lucy wants to marry; slapping her, pulling her hair and twisting her nose with vigour. Most satisfying.
Fanny: VIPER IN MY BOSOM!
Edward's interactions with Margaret, which endears him to Elinor:
Edward: She is heading an expedition to China shortly. I am to go as her servant, but only on the understanding that I will be very badly treated. Elinor: What will your duties be? Edward: Sword-fighting, administering rum, and swabbing. (Later.) Edward: What is swabbing, anyway...?
When Brandon reveals the sort of man Willoughby truly is, he begins by relating his Back Story. It's a very serious and sober scene, but Alan Rickman manages to get in a sly bit of humor.
Colonel Brandon: No doubt— (Beat, with a wry look.) No doubt—you have heard from Mrs. Jennings...
Mr Palmer holding his howling baby son with a rather resigned look on his face while his wife fusses over the kid, and Brandon watching dubiously.
Honestly, any of the Palmer interactions - Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton play off each other perfectly.
Their first exchange sets the tone:
Mrs Palmer: Oh, if only this rain would stop! Mr Palmer:[not looking up from his newspaper] If only you would stop.
Mrs Palmer mentions that she and her husband live near Willoughby's estate at Combe Magna, but disagree on the distance:
Mrs Palmer: We live but half a mile away. Mr Palmer:[still not looking up from his newspaper] Five and a half. Mrs Palmer:[amazed] No... I cannot believe it is that far. Is it really five and a half...? I can't believe it. Mr Palmer: Try.
When the Dashwood sisters accept an invitation to London, Mrs Palmer grabs the corner of Mr Palmer's newspaper in delight, crumpling it in the process. Mr Palmer simply rolls his eyes and does his best to straighten it again.
The Dashwoods' Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone moment, when Mrs. Dashwood, Marianne, and Margaret practically race from the room as soon as it becomes clear that Edward has broken off his engagement to Lucy (who married his brother instead) and is about to propose to Elinor, who has burst into tears.
Marianne is going on about how Col. Brandon is "old" and "infirm."
The expression poor Mrs. Jennings' butler wears when Marianne rings for him in the middle of the night to deliver another letter to Willoughby.
In the film, Brandon gravely warns Elinor not to wish for Marianne to have a "closer acquaintance with the world", alluding to the tragic history of his First Love. On the commentary track, Emma Thompson utterly destroys the heartfelt and somber mood by relating in detail how Alan Rickman's horse was extremely flatulent throughout the entire scene thanks to a change of feed.
When Willoughby first brings Marianne back to the house, Elinor and Mrs Dashwood are fussing over her to get her into dry clothes. Marianne is too busy rhapsodizing over Willoughby to participate in this, and Elinor tells Marianne straighforwardly that if she doesn't change clothes she'll catch a cold.
Marianne(with a raptuous, dramatic expression, in a sincere, romantic tone of voice): What care I for cold, when there is such a man?
Elinor: You will care very much when your nose swells up.
Marianne(without changing facial expression or vocal tone one iota): You are right. Help me, Elinor.
The moment where Elinor finally has enough of Marianne's self-centredness and, after one disapproving remark too many about her supposed lack of heart, points out that she's been suffering in silence all this time and had Marianne not been consumed by her own self-pity she might have noticed something, is largely played for drama. However, there's something a little blackly comic in how Marianne, overwhelmed by the force of Elinor's anger on the subject, bursts into tears — forcing Elinor to comfort her and thus ironically making everything all about Marianne and her own bloody feelings again.
Kingdom of Fear, a subtle and genteel author from pastoral Kentucky shared his reaction to the film.Hunter S. Thompson: I couldn't believe it, I was wrapped up in this ancient goddamned thing. Goddamn, I must be in a unique mood of some kind because I got completely into it.