Does everything we see on the screen have to be glaringly and so called realistic. Maybe for some but not for me. I certainly don't mind a good dose of sweet, delightful and refreshing. Here is a young Amish girl, naive about the world outside of the confines of her community and longing to know what is on the outside. And there is a handsome young Amish fellow who loves her but is wise enough to allow her the room to make her own choices. This movie is well acted and thought provoking with a plausible story line. Okay, our Amish heroine does have plucked eyebrows and is lacking the Amish accent but can we overlook that for the sake of the message the movie is delivering? I think so. And I do love our heroine's purity--a rarity in today's world and nice to know that the innocence of her sort does exist.
12 Reviews
Simple sweet story of young love
skpn1235 February 2017
This is a coming of age film but in the context of an Amish Community - it speaks to knowing ones own mind while remembering that sometimes this involves a journey of discovery to find not only new experiences, but also ourselves.
A little predictable and good and evil is stereotyped at times but easy and fun to watch. If your soul need soothing this film is like a cool breeze - present our destiny, our calling as something attainable and fun to search for. Subtle themes of loving and losing but staying open to life and what it has to offer.
A little more character development would have enhanced the film's gentle message.
A little predictable and good and evil is stereotyped at times but easy and fun to watch. If your soul need soothing this film is like a cool breeze - present our destiny, our calling as something attainable and fun to search for. Subtle themes of loving and losing but staying open to life and what it has to offer.
A little more character development would have enhanced the film's gentle message.
Predictable but we do love the Amish in TV movies
phd_travel1 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
There have been some recent Lifetime movies about the Amish so UP TV offers this nicely filmed, attractively cast romance about an Amish girl finding true love. The result is watchable but predictable.
The story is simple, Emma is a fan of Pride and Prejudice. She travels to another state to visit her cousin and there she meets a nice wholesome Amish man and a suave city guy who wants to interview her about her cheese. Danielle Chuchran plays Emma and she is very pretty. Sometimes she acts and speaks a little too modern for an Amish person (at least the stereotypes we see on TV). Her Amish beau is Trevor Donovan of 90210 and her city suitor is Drew Fuller of Army Wives. Guess who she ends up with. The clichéd part of the story is that the Amish are all blonde and pure hearted and the city folk dark haired and jaded / lecherous.
Worth one watch if you need your Amish fix.
The story is simple, Emma is a fan of Pride and Prejudice. She travels to another state to visit her cousin and there she meets a nice wholesome Amish man and a suave city guy who wants to interview her about her cheese. Danielle Chuchran plays Emma and she is very pretty. Sometimes she acts and speaks a little too modern for an Amish person (at least the stereotypes we see on TV). Her Amish beau is Trevor Donovan of 90210 and her city suitor is Drew Fuller of Army Wives. Guess who she ends up with. The clichéd part of the story is that the Amish are all blonde and pure hearted and the city folk dark haired and jaded / lecherous.
Worth one watch if you need your Amish fix.
A battle between earnest intent and hollow phoniness
I_Ailurophile19 March 2023
It's not lost on me that this 2015 TV movie, starring Danielle Chuchran (elsewhere credited as Danielle C. Ryan), bears a premise totally opposite of 2018 film 'Runaway romance,' also starring Chuchran. There, a modern woman finding peace in Amish country; here, an Amish woman exploring the "Englisher" world. It's easy to approach such fare with substantial skepticism, and given the glut of independent films and made-for-TV productions that so blithely take any possible notion and expand it into a romantic drama or comedy (or comedy-drama), I frankly think it would be a mistake not to. Still, despite a certain forthrightness and glib artificiality about it all, I'd be lying if I said 'Love finds you in Charm' wasn't, well, charming. It's hardly a must-see, even for diehard fans of the genre, but it's a pleasant and lighthearted watch, and sometimes that's all a picture actually needs to be.
Mind you, this is decidedly heavy-handed in its conjuration - in the protagonist's not-so-secret admiration of Jane Austen, for example, in the regular emphasis of the rural setting and country living, or not least of all in the plain contrivances of burgeoning romance or the accentuation of the protagonist's struggle between two worlds. Yet isn't this exactly what we expect of such features in the first place? One knows what to anticipate before even sitting to watch, and is either on board with everything it portends or not, so there's really not much cause to fuss about the particulars. Moreover, to the credit of all involved, the falseness of the proceedings aren't so completely transparent as in the perfectly plastic and formulaic kitsch of romances from Lifetime, Hallmark, or ABC Family; though pointedly ham-handed, there's a tinge of sincerity in the telling here that helps to endear 'Charm' to even the most cynical of viewers.
The filming locations are lovely, and the cast generally give admirable performances of heartfelt nuance and personality. Naturally Chuchran stands out most, but co-star Tiffany Dupont isn't far behind, nor Meg Wittman. This is also true for most of the supporting cast, though despite his best efforts, it feels like Trevor Donovan has been guided into a portrayal that's a little stiff and forced. I'd also note that the editing is peculiarly curt - a hang-up from commercial breaks in the title's TV origins, surely, but unfortunate nonetheless. Still, the production design is warm and sweet, as is the cinematography and direction, and the costume design is swell. Based on Annalisa Daughety's book of the same name, Bryar Freed's screenplay is filled with themes of self-discovery, and the accompanying confusion and uncertainty. There's detectable earnestness in the narrative, and behind the dialogue and scene writing - though on paper and especially in execution there's also significant kitsch that's overbearing at times; every compliment paid to protagonist Emma is almost excruciating in its application, and even something as minor as an auctioneer's patter reeks of inauthenticity.
Suffice to say that this movie is a mixed bag in various ways. It means well, and is mostly made well, but try as everyone might there's no getting around the airs of overdone phoniness that pairs just as readily. The construction of the picture is as much a love triangle as the story being told, with Honest Genuineness and Blunt Cheesiness battling for the soul of the whole affair. Accentuating the point, it's deeply regrettable that the hollowness and disingenuousness is never stronger than in the last ten to fifteen minutes, when it really would have mattered most for the soulfulness of the film to have shown through. That last twinge of ill favor leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, which is extra sad because of how worthy this is at its best. Just a tad more sincerity would have gone a long way. Still, it's not bad, and again it bears repeating that no one is going to sit to watch this who isn't already well aware of what they're getting into. Unless you're a big fan of someone involved or extra keen on the genre there's no need to go out of your way for this, but if you do have the chance to watch, there are worse ways to spend one's time than with 'Love finds you in Charm.'
Mind you, this is decidedly heavy-handed in its conjuration - in the protagonist's not-so-secret admiration of Jane Austen, for example, in the regular emphasis of the rural setting and country living, or not least of all in the plain contrivances of burgeoning romance or the accentuation of the protagonist's struggle between two worlds. Yet isn't this exactly what we expect of such features in the first place? One knows what to anticipate before even sitting to watch, and is either on board with everything it portends or not, so there's really not much cause to fuss about the particulars. Moreover, to the credit of all involved, the falseness of the proceedings aren't so completely transparent as in the perfectly plastic and formulaic kitsch of romances from Lifetime, Hallmark, or ABC Family; though pointedly ham-handed, there's a tinge of sincerity in the telling here that helps to endear 'Charm' to even the most cynical of viewers.
The filming locations are lovely, and the cast generally give admirable performances of heartfelt nuance and personality. Naturally Chuchran stands out most, but co-star Tiffany Dupont isn't far behind, nor Meg Wittman. This is also true for most of the supporting cast, though despite his best efforts, it feels like Trevor Donovan has been guided into a portrayal that's a little stiff and forced. I'd also note that the editing is peculiarly curt - a hang-up from commercial breaks in the title's TV origins, surely, but unfortunate nonetheless. Still, the production design is warm and sweet, as is the cinematography and direction, and the costume design is swell. Based on Annalisa Daughety's book of the same name, Bryar Freed's screenplay is filled with themes of self-discovery, and the accompanying confusion and uncertainty. There's detectable earnestness in the narrative, and behind the dialogue and scene writing - though on paper and especially in execution there's also significant kitsch that's overbearing at times; every compliment paid to protagonist Emma is almost excruciating in its application, and even something as minor as an auctioneer's patter reeks of inauthenticity.
Suffice to say that this movie is a mixed bag in various ways. It means well, and is mostly made well, but try as everyone might there's no getting around the airs of overdone phoniness that pairs just as readily. The construction of the picture is as much a love triangle as the story being told, with Honest Genuineness and Blunt Cheesiness battling for the soul of the whole affair. Accentuating the point, it's deeply regrettable that the hollowness and disingenuousness is never stronger than in the last ten to fifteen minutes, when it really would have mattered most for the soulfulness of the film to have shown through. That last twinge of ill favor leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, which is extra sad because of how worthy this is at its best. Just a tad more sincerity would have gone a long way. Still, it's not bad, and again it bears repeating that no one is going to sit to watch this who isn't already well aware of what they're getting into. Unless you're a big fan of someone involved or extra keen on the genre there's no need to go out of your way for this, but if you do have the chance to watch, there are worse ways to spend one's time than with 'Love finds you in Charm.'
The portrayal of the Amish is laughable
steiner-sam1 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The movie is set in the modern era, initially in Shipshewana, Indiana and mostly in Charm, Ohio. Charm, located in Holmes County, Ohio, is at the center of one of the largest Amish settlements in North America.
The story follows a young Amish woman, Emma Miller (Danielle C. Ryan) who dreams of a freer life in the larger English world. She loves to read Jane Austen novels, and dreams of larger vistas when planes fly overhead. The film opens of her daydreaming about driving a car. Her boyfriend, Jacob (Kellen Boyle) is staid with no vision beyond his Amish community.
Emma's wise father decides she should visit her cousin, Lydia (Meg Wittman) in Charm, Ohio to help during the tourist season. Lydia is widowed with a young child. Lydia's late husband's cousin, Noah (Trevor Donovan), helps on the farm as he can. Noah is a "hunk" who has explored the English world and realizes the Amish life is the one he wants.
Emma is attracted to Noah but insists on some independence. She makes friends with a young English woman in the local library, Kelly (Tiffany Dupont), who has come to Charm to escape a relationship with an untrustworthy fiancée.
Emma's makes a spectacular goat cheese that catches the eye of a young smooth-talking New York food blogger, Andy (Drew Fuller), who comes on to Emma in a quite aggressive way.
Thus, the struggle that Emma needs to resolve-explore the English way or commit to the Amish life. One guess on how she decides.
The portrayal of the Amish is laughable. It is picture-perfect in the photography, but the characters are not real. Noah looks like he belongs on the cover of a romance novel and lowers his suspenders a few times to better show off his manly chest. His hair is not exactly an Amish "cut." The Amish woman always show too much hair, and Emma's dress is bit snug.
The Amish are an earthy people, and the way they talk is also earthy. The dialogue in this film sounds like came out of the Jane Austen novel. That was very distracting.
The story follows a young Amish woman, Emma Miller (Danielle C. Ryan) who dreams of a freer life in the larger English world. She loves to read Jane Austen novels, and dreams of larger vistas when planes fly overhead. The film opens of her daydreaming about driving a car. Her boyfriend, Jacob (Kellen Boyle) is staid with no vision beyond his Amish community.
Emma's wise father decides she should visit her cousin, Lydia (Meg Wittman) in Charm, Ohio to help during the tourist season. Lydia is widowed with a young child. Lydia's late husband's cousin, Noah (Trevor Donovan), helps on the farm as he can. Noah is a "hunk" who has explored the English world and realizes the Amish life is the one he wants.
Emma is attracted to Noah but insists on some independence. She makes friends with a young English woman in the local library, Kelly (Tiffany Dupont), who has come to Charm to escape a relationship with an untrustworthy fiancée.
Emma's makes a spectacular goat cheese that catches the eye of a young smooth-talking New York food blogger, Andy (Drew Fuller), who comes on to Emma in a quite aggressive way.
Thus, the struggle that Emma needs to resolve-explore the English way or commit to the Amish life. One guess on how she decides.
The portrayal of the Amish is laughable. It is picture-perfect in the photography, but the characters are not real. Noah looks like he belongs on the cover of a romance novel and lowers his suspenders a few times to better show off his manly chest. His hair is not exactly an Amish "cut." The Amish woman always show too much hair, and Emma's dress is bit snug.
The Amish are an earthy people, and the way they talk is also earthy. The dialogue in this film sounds like came out of the Jane Austen novel. That was very distracting.
Not exactly like a Hallmark romance
Jackbv12328 March 2021
This story is as much about a young woman finding out about herself as it is a romance. Actually, probably more so. I think it does fairly well at examining Emma's struggle and showing how she deals with it.
One of the clichés is the young woman torn between two worlds. That part reminds me a little of all the "royal" movies that are so popular. The Englisher world is by no means royal, and most of us can understand many of the drawbacks, but Emma is faced with how different that world is from the one she has known. There are some thought provoking moments such as the grass-is-greener syndrome.
If there is a stereotype, one might conclude from the movie something about all Englisher men, and it's not good. Meanwhile, Amish men are gentlemen, right?
The movie is based loosely on a book by almost the same name Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio. There are no glaring differences that I can remember. One thing I like about both the movie and the book is that neither is judgmental about the Amish. I like that Emma and Kelly can really be friends. Also, like the book, the movie brings up trusting and following God, but I wouldn't say either is preachy.
I imply that the romance is not the central aspect of the movie. So I don't consider it negative when I say that the chemistry between Trevor Donovan and Danielle C. Ryan isn't overwhelming. There's some, but the movie didn't focus enough on just the two of them to make it much more than that.
The conclusion is a little rushed. It jumps from a conflict right into the expected outcome and then moves quickly into an epilogue.
I liked this movie because I watch a (very) lot of Hallmark and UpTV rom/drams and rom/coms and this was different enough to be refreshing.
One of the clichés is the young woman torn between two worlds. That part reminds me a little of all the "royal" movies that are so popular. The Englisher world is by no means royal, and most of us can understand many of the drawbacks, but Emma is faced with how different that world is from the one she has known. There are some thought provoking moments such as the grass-is-greener syndrome.
If there is a stereotype, one might conclude from the movie something about all Englisher men, and it's not good. Meanwhile, Amish men are gentlemen, right?
The movie is based loosely on a book by almost the same name Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio. There are no glaring differences that I can remember. One thing I like about both the movie and the book is that neither is judgmental about the Amish. I like that Emma and Kelly can really be friends. Also, like the book, the movie brings up trusting and following God, but I wouldn't say either is preachy.
I imply that the romance is not the central aspect of the movie. So I don't consider it negative when I say that the chemistry between Trevor Donovan and Danielle C. Ryan isn't overwhelming. There's some, but the movie didn't focus enough on just the two of them to make it much more than that.
The conclusion is a little rushed. It jumps from a conflict right into the expected outcome and then moves quickly into an epilogue.
I liked this movie because I watch a (very) lot of Hallmark and UpTV rom/drams and rom/coms and this was different enough to be refreshing.
Waste of time
raronhiarakwas27 April 2019
Poor story line not close to bring believable. This Amish girl plucked eyebrows, polished finger nails and lip liner ruins the story. Lack of innocence and Dutch accents and so called English standards. I can imagine the laughs from the Amish. No Amish girl would act like that without fear of being shunned.
Best love movie ever!
tronrontron-5251120 December 2015
Well guys, do you know these situation where your girlfriend forces you to watch a love movie and you feel not good about it? Have you watched some love movies and the food in your stomach wants to come out of your mouth? Not this movie! It is great! The Amish are portrayed nicely. The main actress is hot and did a believable job in her role. The other actors are all good.
The movie has a lot of emotional scenes and in the end you will be rewarded with a fantastic finish. On the other side, the end of the movie is predictable. Beside the end of the movie, there is a lot of tension that keeps you guessing what will happen next.
There are some messages in this movie, which are interesting.
All in all it is a simple and emotional great movie!
The movie has a lot of emotional scenes and in the end you will be rewarded with a fantastic finish. On the other side, the end of the movie is predictable. Beside the end of the movie, there is a lot of tension that keeps you guessing what will happen next.
There are some messages in this movie, which are interesting.
All in all it is a simple and emotional great movie!
Cliché upon cliché
rockie-5405826 November 2017
A beautiful actor learning that her sequestered life may be good enough – with one straw man city slicker perhaps enough to blow up exploration into the entire world?
Terrible, sentimental film, with a portrayal of the Amish that's insulting. Jane Austen, the film's go to sage, would be chagrined.
Terrible, sentimental film, with a portrayal of the Amish that's insulting. Jane Austen, the film's go to sage, would be chagrined.
Really sweet movie!
CassC082115 January 2021
I actually really liked this movie a lot! I thought it was gonna be just another hallmark movie but this was different than the others. Of course they're all a little predictable but the whole premise was really nice about finding yourself and being true to who you are. It was really well done, the chemistry is great between the 2 leads. I thought the love story was really sweet and wholesome. Loved it!
Highly enjoyable
ISmellSnow4 August 2021
There are plenty of "wait what's" in this movie, but for the most part it is an enjoyable storyline. It's paced very well, I never felt bored and I like both of the main actors. I wouldn't mind watching a sequel of some sorts with the same characters.
Love it!
randajoyjordan6 December 2020
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