--- title: "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics are warm towards it, and the praise lands almost entirely on the dancing. Michael Kidd’s athletic choreography, and the barn-raising sequence above all, is named again and again as the reason to watch, and more than one review credits Stanley Donen’s direction with serving it well. The Mercer and de Paul songs are liked, Howard Keel and Jane Powell are thought a good vocal match, and Powell’s timing draws particular notice. The spread is wide. The reservations fall on the story rather than the staging: The New Yorker finds the hillbilly plot arch and contrived, and Time Out thinks the lead performance inexpressive and the score cosy. The sharpest dissent comes from HeyUGuys, troubled by the abduction and forced-marriage plot and its gender politics, though Collider reads the same material as a sly critique of patriarchal attitudes through its heroine. Admirers and detractors alike exempt the dances. ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2011. Festival review. The critic praises the film's explosive energy within the MGM musical canon and highlights Jane Powell's spunky conviction and sharp timing as central to its success. They note the movie's robust conviction, lightness of spirit, and thrilling expansion of dance parameters, while appreciating how it turns set-bound artifice into an advantage. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/my-favorite-film-festival-of-2011-alive-and-well-in-love-and-war-at-the-tcm-classic-film-festival/) ## The New York Times — A. H. Weiler Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 1954. The film has bounce, color, movement, a strong score and imaginative choreography that restore faith in the Hollywood musical. It follows conventions gracefully with charm and warmth drawn from its folk-tale source. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1954/07/25/archives/a-pair-of-sevens-brides-for-brothers-is-a-bright-film-romp.html) ## Empire — Emma Cochrane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 March 2007. The critic calls it an infectiously enjoyable and colourful musical with great songs, set pieces and solid performances. She singles out the energetic Barn Raising sequence and Michael Kidd’s athletic choreography as a standout. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/seven-brides-seven-brothers-review/) ## The Times — Laura Lee Davies Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2005. The critic describes this digitally restored MGM musical as a feelgood matrimonial tale with pioneer spirit, where the bride takes charge amid the brothers' antics inspired by the Sabine women story. She praises the dance sequences and notes the insightful DVD extras including Donen's commentary. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/property-home/article/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-u-r0d58mdlrbx) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1953. The critic calls it a happy, hand-clapping country musical with slick Broadway polish. Songs by Mercer and de Paul are lively, the barn-raising hoedown stands out, and leads Keel and Powell pair well vocally and otherwise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-1200417635/) ## Time Out — SG Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2012. The film is best appreciated as a showcase for its acrobatic dance sequences, whose choreography is well served by Donen's direction. The score feels cosy and the lead performance is rather inexpressive. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 1954. The critic finds the hillbilly family story furiously arch and the customs irritating, calling the whole thing desperately contrived and often witless. Some fine dances and a song or two sung by the leads may appeal. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1954/07/31/1954-07-31-052-tny-cards-000050823) ## Collider — Namwene Mukabwa Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2023. The film overcame studio skepticism and budget issues to become a beloved classic and box-office hit, praised for its energetic choreography and sly critique of patriarchal attitudes through the non-conformist lead character. [Read the review](https://collider.com/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-western-musical/) ## HeyUGuys — Hannah McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2012. The critic is troubled by the film's outdated gender politics and depiction of abduction and forced marriage, even as it attempts to show female agency. She praises the dancing and singing sequences amid the story's problematic elements. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/video-vault-seven-brides-for-seven-brothers/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md