YMMV / Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

• Heartwarming Moments: Adam's Character Development. He starts out as a rude, pigheaded, and stubborn man who marries Milly for the sake of wanting a maid. However, during the whole film, he shows that he does have a caring, well intentioned, and protective side to him. He soon lets his kind side take over.
  • All throughout the film, too, you see that despite getting on each others nerves, the brothers really do care about each other. From Benjamin leaping to Ephraim's defense after he innocently offends a few girls, to the barn fight breaking out once Adam is attacked for no good reason, to Adam trying to take all the blame for the 'kidnap the women' idea, the brothers really show that they love each other.
  • Milly's attempts to help the brothers become more genteel and attractive to the opposite sex. While she's willing to use force and threats to establish dominance, for the most part she's friendly, encouraging, and understanding. Even when she exiles them to the barn, she comes off at least in part as supremely disappointed in them.
    • In the stage production, during Adam and Milly's heated argument, the brothers take Milly's side, as sleeping in the house wouldn't be proper, as they clearly feel remorse for the kidnapping and want to make amends. When Adam decides to leave for the trapping cabin to live out the winter by himself, he ignores his brother's protest, in which Milly returns the brothers' favor by telling Adam that he should listen to his brothers.
      Brother 1: Adam, me and the boys think... Milly's right. It just wouldn't be proper.
      Brother: Yeah, we're gonna sleep in the barn. You leave things be.
      Adam: Leave things be...? Well, ain't this a fine howdy do! If that's the way you want it, that's the way you can have it! Me? I'm leaving!
      Caleb: Adam! Wait! Come back and talk to us!
      Adam: I've had enough talking! I'm leaving!
      Milly: Adam! Listen to your brothers!
      Adam: The last time I listened to them, I ended up married! I woulda been better off with a hired gal!
• Iron Woobie: Milly. She's gotten married to a man she just met only to find that he's a rough and short-sighted lout with six brothers who are just as wild as he is. And while she breaks for a few moments, she is always in control of the situation.
• Questionable Casting: Benjamin (the orange-shirted brother). He was played by a former baseball player who couldn't sing or dance very well. Look closely at him during musical numbers; he's either in the background, seated or blocked by a crowd. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if his designated bride wasn't trained singer/dancer Julie Newmar (who was apparently angry about this as well).
  • It's all the more noticable against both Russ Tamblyn (Gideon) and Howard Keel (Adam). While they weren't dancers, Tamblyn was a veteran acrobat and Keel was a very accomplished singer.
• Retroactive Recognition: Julie Newmar plays Dorcas, one of the brides.
• Special Effects Failure: The backdrops are not bad, but were clearly painted, since they couldn't actually afford to shoot on location. In fact, during the song "Wonderful, Wonderful Day", a bird crashes into the back of the set.
• Tear Jerker: Adam upon discovering his baby daughter, and his eventual reconciliation with Milly.
  • Right after Milly flips the table, when it really hits her what she's gotten herself signed up for.
• Values Dissonance: Hoo boy. This is a movie that could not possibly have been made past its time, what with all the Abduction Is Love. Note that it's actually toned down from the original "Sobbin' Women" short story, in which the whole kidnapping ploy was Milly's idea. It was the film version that added Milly calling out the brothers for what they did and the brothers coming to realize that it was wrong, even if it does still end the same way.
  • Ironically, the stage version of the film continues to be performed in high school campuses, with no complaints or backlash whatsoever.

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