History YMMV / SevenDaysInMay

* ValuesDissonance: To a cynical modern audience, the President's refusal to use letters from his mistress to blackmail General Scott into aborting the coup to keep his own hands and conscience clean looks dangerously irresponsible, especially when the stakes are nothing less than the future of American democracy. For that matter, the idea that a right-wing authoritarian's followers would abandon him in the face of a personal scandal at odds with traditional morality seems almost laughable in the aftermath of ''decades'' of right-wing politicians holding onto power and influence despite even juicier and more repulsive sexual improprieties.

* HarsherInHindsight: The motivating event for Scott's coup attempt is that President Lyman has just signed a treaty with the Soviets abolishing both nations' nuclear arsenals, the act provoking fury among some sectors of the American public due to suspicions that the Soviets would cheat. In 1987, as Reagan and Gorbachev were deep in negotiations over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the two began talking about going farther, and abolishing all their nuclear weapons, with both Reagan and Gorbachev in favor of the move. However, both of them were savvy enough to know that full abolition would be an impossible sell in either nation, as hardliners in both countries would suspect trickery from the other and would work to block or derail any such treaty.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome:
** When Senator Prentice is trying to buttonhole Colonel Casey, he responds:
-->'''Prentice:''' But you make me think that fruit salad on your chest is for neutrality, evasiveness and fence-straddling.
-->'''Casey:''' On the contrary, they're standard awards for cocktail courage and dinner-table heroism. [[DeadpanSnarker I thought you'd invented them.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: General James M. Scott - power hungry dictator waiting to happen, or WellIntentiondExtremist? Reportedly it was the latter interpretation that had to be evoked in order to get BurtLancaster to sign on.

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* UnfortunateImplications: Early in the novel, Colonel Casey propositions his wife by saying, "If you were more woman and we had more time, this might be a pretty good afternoon for rape." [[{{Squick}} Sheesh.]]

* UnfortunateImplications: Early in the novel, Colonel Casey propostions his wife by saying, "If you were more woman and we had more time, this might be a pretty good afternoon for rape." [[{{Squick}} Sheesh.]]

** When Senator Prentice is trying to buttonhole him, he responds:

** Also, a smaller one earlier in the film. When Senator Prentice is trying to buttonhole him, he responds:

** Casey's ShutUpHannibal moment.
-->'''Casey:''' Yes, I know who Judas was. He was a man I worked for and admired until he disgraced the four stars on his uniform.

--->'''Casey:''' On the contrary, they're standard awards for cocktail courage and dinner-table heroism. [[DeadpanSnarker I thought you'd invented them.]]

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Casey's ShutUpHannibal moment.

CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Casey's ShutUpHannibal moment.

OneSceneWonder: John Houseman as one of the coup-plotters. It was his first appearance before the camera after years of working on the production side of the business.

* OneSceneWonder: John Houseman as one of the coup-plotters. It was his first appearance before the camera after years of working on the production side of the business.