Love Finds You in Sugarcreek (TV Movie 2014) Poster

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7/10
"Treat all strangers as though they were angels."
utgard147 November 2014
Tough and cynical small-town policewoman (Sarah Lancaster) investigates a drifter (Tom Everett Scott) who comes to town with his young son and goes to work as a handyman for her three Amish aunts. He has a secret and she's protective of her aunts so she's determined to find out what he's hiding.

What a pleasant surprise this was. I was flipping through the channels and caught this on UP. One look at Sarah Lancaster's gorgeous face and I was hooked. She does wonders for a uniform, as well. Tom Everett Scott really did look like a bum here. A lot of times movies try to make someone appear homeless or disheveled and it still looks glamorous. Here, though, the guy really does look like a mess with unkempt hair, scruffy beard, and dirty clothes. Thomas Kapanowsi, the little boy playing his son, is very adorable. Kelly McGillis (from Witness) as one of the Amish aunts was a bit of inspired casting. No doubt someone is patting themselves on the back for that. Scott and Lancaster have nice chemistry, although one of the bigger pills to swallow about the story is how he's even able to connect with someone else so soon after his wife's death. It's even more eyebrow-raising when you consider the circumstances. Still, they manage to make it a believable love story. It's also pretty wholesome and sweet despite some dark subject matter underneath the surface. Beautiful scenery, sincere performances, and some good writing make this better than average TV movie fare.
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8/10
Watchable Amish murder mystery romance
phd_travel13 October 2017
Of all the Lifetime / Hallmark style Amish movies this is the top of the bunch.

It's quite watchable a story with a bit of romance a murder mystery and all the charm of the Amish. Plus the cast is great. Sarah Lancaster of Chuck has always been sweet and she makes quite a lovely small town cop. Looks very fetching. Tom Everett Scott plays a baseball player who is on the road with this young son to escape paparazzi after his movie star wife is murdered. Kelly McGillis plays an Amish again and it's a delight for anyone who can remember Witness. The country looks so enchanting. The story is quite clever and isn't too cute like some of the genre can be.

Worth a watch.
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7/10
Worth watching...
Phillip2113 April 2015
...for the really excellent performance by Sarah Lancaster as Rachel. In the UK a lot of US made-for-TV movies are shown on our Channel 5 mid afternoon, and I often watch them while having a late lunch. So many have actors working on autopilot, but thought that the leads in this one displayed genuine warmth, especially Lancaster. The only thing that puzzled me about the film was the interaction between Amish and non-Amish characters. I would have thought the Amish would keep their distance a little more, but I have never visited Amish country, so have no first hand knowledge. Sometimes when I look at the synopses of the upcoming movies on my TV listings, I think - have I seen this before? because of the generic plots, but this movie has so many unusual elements that I will not quickly forget it!
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6/10
The first two-thirds of the film are better than the last third
steiner-sam2 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a cozy mystery set in modern times in Sugarcreek, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, which is part of Amish country. It tells the story of a mysterious man and boy who show up without money in Sugarcreek. They are taken by three elderly Amish sisters who operate a rundown "Inn" that has few visitors.

Rachel Troyler (Sarah Lancaster) is a policewoman in the small Sugarcreek force. She is the niece of the three Amish sisters. Bertha Troyler (Kelly McGillis) is the one in charge. Anna Troyler (Marianna Alacchi) is somewhat developmentally disabled. Lydia (Annie Kitral) seems like an older sister. Their brother, Eli Troyler (Ken Strunk), is the Amishman who comes across Joe Matthews (Tom Everett Scott) and his son, Bobby (Thomas Kapanowski) when their truck has broken down and Joe's wallet has been stolen. He takes them to the Sugar Haus Inn run by the sisters. He begins to do odd jobs for them to pay for his and Bobby's keep.

Rachel is very suspicious of the unkempt looking stranger who is wearing sneakers that cost $300. She overhears a phone conversation in which Joe is talking to someone about not being guilty of something. She begins to search for information on him in her role with the police.

As the movie unfolds, we learn that Joe is a major league baseball player named Micah Matthias, and that his wife, Grace Hunter, who was an actress, had been murdered five months earlier. No one has been arrested for the murder, and Joe/Micah has been grudgingly cleared by the police. Bobby had been in the house at the time of the murder, was locked in a room for hours, and Joe/Micah has been traveling to try to avoid the tabloid papers and to protect Bobby. We also learn that Rachel's father had also been a policeman who was killed in a bank robbery years earlier. These crises have made both Joe and Rachel distrustful of people and relationships.

Rachel's sleuth work finally enables her to figure out who Joe is. And my oh my, their relationship begins to heat up. In the end, after Grace's killer makes several threats on Rachel's life, it all sorts out at the end. We also meet Joe's ne'er-do-well brother, Dylan (Geoffrey Hoffman), and his agent/manager, Chloe Styles (Katherine DeBoer).

This was rather fun to watch, though the "Amish" characters have little to do with the mystery. The three sisters make spiritual observations and provide light humor from time to time. Eli is a wise and friendly soul. The scenery is lovely and some humor is injected as Joe tries to adapt to Amish ways.

The larger Amish community is oddly missing when the Inn burns down; all the help comes from the "English." Except for the Troyler family, the Amish are pretty much invisible. Oddly, when Rachel and Joe go to First Mennonite Church in Sugarcreek on a Sunday morning, Bertha insists they take the horse and buggy. It's not clear how Joe recharges his oft-used cellphone on a farm that has no electricity. We never learn why Rachel's father, Frank, left the Amish to become a policeman. I did find the accents of the "Amish" more tolerable in this film than in "Love finds you in Charm."

The first two-thirds of the film are better than the last third, which gets quite hokey and more improbable.
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10/10
Bring on the Sequel
billbev19242 June 2014
Being from Ohio and living near Sugarcreek I was skeptical, but the Director Terry Cunningham absolutely nailed it! The characters stayed true to the real people of the area, even capturing our Ohio accent. The Cinematography was just as beautiful as Sound of Music, Ohio never looked so good! The story was everything you could want a mix of Comedy, Mystery, Suspense, Action and of course Love... What a great Family movie! Kelly McGillis is spot-on as the Amish Aunt and the Actresses who play the Sisters almost stole the show. Sarah Lancaster and Tom Everett Scott were perfectly cast and the little boy actor just melts your heart. This Movie easily could have been a Hallmark Movie or a Network Movie of the week ... Somebody at NBC, CBS or ABC missed the boat! Now all we need is a Sequel to this beautiful Love Story.
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9/10
wonderful movie
townsendc761 September 2014
Love Finds You in Sugar Creek is a thoroughly wonderful movie with mysterious twists, great characters, great writing AND NO bad language. The town and the outdoor scenes are very beautiful and believable. I taught in an Amish, Mennonite and German Baptist area for 10 years and the people were just as helpful, friendly and just as great cooks as the Amish were shown in this movie. It made me miss them as neighbors even more than I have in many years. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would watch many others like it. I like it so much better than movies shown in theaters and do not go very often because most contain bad language and horrible violence. I am recording it to watch again. Thank you UP for this wonderful movie. Please show it again. It could easily be shown on Hallmark also.
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4/10
Love and Faith and everything in between
blumdeluxe26 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Love Finds You in Sugarcreek" tells the story of a baseball-player incognito and his son, who strand in a small village and are housed by three amish women. When their niece continues to be suspicious about the stranger and sticks around, love finds its way.

Sure, this movie is cute somehow. But also very predictable. While the general love story is told totally fine, there is always an undertone of faith and religion that kind of disturbs me here. Otherwise what you get here is more or less your typical romance, where aversion turns into emotions and than has to survive the truth. The outcome should be obvious. The acting is actually quite decent, most of the emotions appear authentic and the film is not boring, you more or less are drawn into it.

All in all this is surely seen better by people who are in general fans of romances as movies. In my eyes it is an okay film that is lacking some logic and creativity and somehow circles a bit too much around faith.
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9/10
Excellent until
Jackbv1232 September 2020
I loved the story and the characters until near the end. I think the story had a few atypical plot points and at the beginning I had no idea where it would end up. I don't really think much in it was predictable except the end of the baseball game and what it led to.

The identity of the wife's killer hit me like a truck shortly before it was confirmed and it was about that time the movie went downhill. I think it was rushed from that point, and the actor playing the killer overplayed the part.

I loved that the Amish were not denigrated in any way. They were portrayed as wonderful people, all of them. They all contributed to the enjoyment of the movie.

The tension between Rachel and Joe and what followed was well done and very believable.
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10/10
I agree, bring on the sequel
cmferrara20009 January 2016
I just watched this movie on the UP station (similar to Hallmark). I am not surprised the major networks weren't involved. After all, this was a good wholesome movie devoid of foul language, sex and "alternate life styles" which seem to be prerequisites for most networks these days.

The movie was not sleepy by any means - with plenty of action, suspense, comedy and a healthy dose of "Do Unto Others...". You know, the Golden Rule, a concept once embraced by this great Nation of ours.

I also liked the positive spin on small town law enforcement and how they are just as capable and resourceful (even more so) than a cop from a large agency.

This is a great family movie. I enjoyed it. If you like Hallmark movies, I believe you will like this one too.
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8/10
Surprisingly good!
linda-846-90701312 June 2020
The editing was a little choppy and the plot a little thin in spots (like villain characterization) , but frankly I enjoyed the heck out of this film! The acting was quite good and I really loved the setting and supporting characters. Anyone else definitely prefer Joe in a beard?
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10/10
Best movie ever!
bakersdozen-4864815 December 2020
I could watch this a hundred times over. The music and scenery set the mood and the characters were perfect. My favorites were the Amish sisters. I just wanted to hug them. The love story was slow and believable and the hospitality of the Amish reminded me of my southern family. I love the fact that the movie did not appear cheaply made. It's great to have high quality and wholesome all in one!
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9/10
Pretty good but book is better
aultarielle27 January 2023
This movie was pretty good! I enjoyed reading it after the book but if you have not read the book then it will probably be a 10 out of 10 for you. While watching I was waiting for Certain characters to join in that didn't. They also changed the name henryetia to Chloe I'm sure they had a reason to but I was confused when I mysterious Chloe called. (She's not mysterious I was just confused) I also was waiting for certain events to happen they never did! But over all the movie was really good and I would recommend having you read the book or not. It is definitely a good movie to watch curled up in bed! I feel like the Amish where very well portrayed Thanks for reading my review have a good day!
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10/10
Inspiration For Us All
druatlax17 November 2021
This is A really well made movie for everyone to learn from and enjoy.

Actors were so good (especially as the Amish), that the story and town came to life.

This is a character study of many, many characters and how they intertwine to complement and strengthen each other.

It is a mystery within a romance within a series of lessons learned .

Have watched it many, many times.. and am still surprised when I see and learn more.

A good movie with many smiles.
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