- Up until Sebastian's death, the basic story is almost identical to "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" only with a modern setting.
- The character most changed is Sebastian Valmont. Because the movie is not told through letters, the audience can see his actions first hand and therefore feel more secure in believing that he is in fact in love with Annette (Madame de Tourvel). Unlike in the novel, Sebastian sacrifices his life for Annette by pushing her out of the way of an oncoming cab and uses his dying breath to confess his love for her. This is an even greater transformation that original Valmont, making Sebastian seem more like a troubled teen than a villainous womanizer, destroying the lives of women for his own ego and sport. This has a lot to do with the modern setting - a girl who has sex before marriage in 1999 was seen a lot differently than a woman doing the same thing in the 1700's. Annette does not end up falling ill and dying after Sebastian's death, but keeps his diary as a memory to carry with her through life and his Jaguar, which Kathryn, again the true villain, desperately wanted.
- Kathryn Merteuil also seems less villainous because it is a modern setting. The consequences have less magnitude and therefore her actions seem less vile. Her sickest act is at the end, where she is giving the speech at Sebastian's funeral. There is something very rewarding for the audience to see her being brought down by Cecile since, in the novel, Cecile returns to the convent. Kathryn loses her reputation like Merteuil but not her looks. Besides Sebastian, everyone in "Cruel Intentions"receives a happier ending than in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses."
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