Expecting Amish

The inaccuracies in this movie alone made me want to turn it off after the first 15 minutes. From Amish holding church in a dedicated building (they worship in their homes) to the girls having bangs cut in their hair, wearing white aprons (only on Sunday and special occasions), down to the wrong buggies and colors (they are gray in Lancaster County)and their perfect American speech (minus the "dutch" accent) ... the whole thing made me feel silly just watching it. Also a stretch that Amish kids would spend their Rumspringa time in Los Angeles ... really? I have been exposed to the Amish my entire life ... this movie is nothing but a "fairy tale" ...

It's like the research of the Amish subject was done exclusively from an inaccurate children's book.

While the acting, the actors, and story are interesting and could be very true, I'm disappointed in many simple details that were overlooked. The Amish would not wear clothing bought at a retail store but every shirt worn by Samuel is just that. All clothing is made by hand and the shirts worn by Samuel are very obviously machine stitched, with buttoned down collars, no less. The double stitching is another clue. Another thing that bothered me throughout was the haircuts on the men. Their hair is PERFECTLY groomed, obviously trimmed with electric clippers. The Amish cut their own hair, with scissors, and would not look so GQ. However, I still enjoyed the movie despite being very disappointed that these details were overlooked; I couldn't rate it higher because of these real goofs! I found them VERY distracting.

Oh dear. Who researched the Amish for this movie? No credibility. This scriptwriter was operating on a stereotyped version of religious people that rings false at every turn. Let me count the ways: (1) Amish do NOT wear buttons at all. Ever. (2) They-do NOT have church buildings but worship every other Sunday in one another's homes. (3) Amish do not believe in religious symbols; the crosses on the "church" and the interior wall would never be seen in Amish country (4) rumspringa-the teen-age period of living away from home in the "world" can last a year or more unless they are unhappy out there and come back home sooner. That giddy 2-week vacation in an upscale house with cute wardrobes was just unrealistic. (4) where did the money come from? Amish are not poor but they are frugal (5) Amish female attire allows for only dark colors (6) Amish conduct worship services in their Germanic language only (7) They all speak this language at home. (8) They do not use hymnals (8) Theirs is a pacifist religion. They would Never sing "Onward Christian Soldiers". (8) they learn English as a second language in school; their English has a distinct German accent (9) they are hardly that clueless as they work for and with "the English" all the time in our homes, our shops, our industries and are familiar with modern conveniences -like toasters. They are just not allowed-or choose not- to own such items or have them in their homes or farms.(10) They are not allowed to have or play musical instruments (11) Brandenburg Concerto"? They don't attend concerts, or know classical music. This false depiction of a hard-working people shows utter disrespect for them, and the soap opera plot was hackneyed and predictable..

This movie is cute but some things about the Amish in the movie are incorrect. First of all the Amish in the movie spoke with no Dutch accent . Also the Amish do ride in cars , they are just not allowed to own or drive them. The Amish do not have a church building they worship at one another's homes. The amsh do not marry in the summer , they marry in the fall. Amish are not shunned unless they have already been baptized and then leave, if they have not been baptized and leave they are not shunned with the hopes of them coming back to be baptized. The story was cute though. Just not accurate. Why wouldn't the actors have a Dutch accent? It was kind of silly listening to them speak English in Amish clothing.