Sense and Sensibility (1995)

What's different

This was my first ever viewing of the popular and star-studded 1995 adaptation, and I went into it with high hopes. Obviously, a lot has been changed from the book to keep the movie under three hours, so I'll try not to get too sidetracked cataloging all the minor differences. Besides, there are plenty of major differences to discuss!

Elinor and Marianne seem fundamentally changed, though I will say that the change makes both of them more likeable. Elinor is more emotional and prone to outbursts, while Marianne handles her emotions surprisingly well throughout. They don't take on each other's personalities, but they're closer to meeting in the middle than ever before. For example, when Willoughby rejects Marianne definitively, Elinor is in a hurry to get back home to Barton, but Marianne seems fine where she is and is handling everything quite well after one afternoon of sobbing into her pillow. And when the news about Edward's engagement to Lucy finally comes out, Marianne doesn't regret how self-absorbed she's been while Elinor has also been suffering, at least until Elinor yells at her for it.

Other characters have more minor differences from the novel. Edward is way too smooth, though when you're played by Hugh Grant, how can you be anything else. Willoughby is super fake. He shows up with a half-assed bouquet of wildflowers that he plays off as thoughtful, and he carries a tiny book of Shakespeare's sonnets everywhere he goes — yeah, right; you know he only does that to make the ladies swoon.

Edward hands out monogrammed handkerchiefs like candy.

Lady Middleton, who has struggled to keep all her children with her in the earlier adaptations, is DEAD in this movie. They didn't just write her out, they murdered her. Sir John is a widower, Mrs. Jennings lives with him full time, and there are no children at all. There are, however, a LOT of dogs.

Dogs!

Lucy's sister, Anne, is nowhere to be found, not that that's any great loss, and without Lady Middleton or any of her children around, poor Lucy has no craft project at all. She gloms onto Mrs. Jennings instead and gets invited to go to London along with Marianne and Elinor.

A few more differences that stuck out to me: more edits to Brandon's tragic backstory, but nothing very unique; Edward never visits Barton; Elinor never meets Mrs. Ferrars; and Willoughby doesn't show up drunk at Cleveland looking for Marianne. He does show up at the end to spy on her wedding, though.

Once a creeper, always a creeper.

What I liked

The interactions between characters feel very modern in this adaptation, and the dialogue is kind of a mishmash of near-exact quotes from the book and modern-ish conversation. All of the flirting, for example, is recognizable and feels familiar, which is part of what makes this movie so enjoyable. The modern attitude extends beyond flirting to other relationships, like Edward and Margaret's rapport. Play sword fighting on the lawn with your little sister is exactly the kind of thing a modern leading man would do to win your heart, but it was not common practice for Regency gentlemen.

Try not to burst an ovary, ladies.

Another concession to modern courtship is the amount of facetime Brandon has with Marianne. We see them talking and just generally hanging out on a few occasions, which gives the impression that he might actually like her for who she is rather than just for the second chance she represents to him. I also liked the scene in which he reads to her on the lawn of Barton Cottage. It gives the impression that she's recovering from both her illness and her heartbreak, and Brandon is a safe and comforting presence during the healing process. It seems feasible that this comfortable feeling could grow into real affection, but then without much further buildup, the movie cuts to their wedding. It feels very abrupt, but it's at least a little more earned and a lot more palatable.

Marianne's illness and her behavior afterward are an improvement over the book, in my opinion. I thought it was strange early on in the movie when Mr. and Mrs. Palmer discuss the distance between Cleveland and Combe Magna, and they're much closer neighbors than in the book. Later, we see that the change was made so Marianne could walk five and a half miles in the rain to see Willoughby's house, which is a pretty great explanation for her illness. In the book, she claims vaguely to have made herself sick, but in this adaptation, there's no doubt that it resulted from her own foolish actions. And once she recovers, she doesn't make a single dramatic speech or resolution, which is a definite win for me. She slowly gets over Willoughby and accepts within herself that all-consuming passion maybe isn't the greatest thing ever, and her new attitude is much more believable than in the book.

Last but certainly not least, Hugh Laurie as Mr. Palmer is the greatest thing to ever happen.

What I disliked

I mostly like this portrayal of Marianne and Brandon's relationship, but I do have a few complaints. Every adaptation seems to reveal another disturbing facet of Brandon's obsession with Marianne, and in this one, it's his overprotective attitude. He straight up scolds Elinor for saying she hopes Marianne matures some day, revealing his desire to shield Marianne from the world the way he failed to shield Eliza. His intention is apparently to keep Marianne from experiencing anything that could ruin her, and by ruin I of course mean spoil the aspects of her personality that Brandon likes best. In real life, this is not a foundation for a happy marriage.

"I'm judging you so hard right now." — Brandon

I'm also disappointed in the one-dimensional portrayal of Mrs. Jennings. She's lost all the compassion and kindness that redeem her and is pretty much just an annoying busybody. Her part in the story is greatly reduced, to the point that she stays behind in London when all the main characters leave. And obviously the scene in which she thinks Brandon has just proposed to Elinor is skipped yet again because the universe doesn't want me to be happy.

Other disappointing characters include: Lucy, because it's so hard to tell whether she's being a bitch or not; Robert, because he gets plenty of screen time but is far too cringey to warrant it; and Margaret, because of literally everything she says and does.

Bitch.

Adaptation wish list

1. Is it funny? — Nope.
2. Is it bitchy? — Nope.
3. Is Brandon less pathetic? — Yes!
4. Is Marianne more believable? — Yes!

Overall, I'm impressed with how accurate it is to the book while also being SO DIFFERENT. It's carefully balanced between adaptation and blockbuster, and it's also just a great movie that's fun to watch.

Random parrot.