Plus One at an Amish Wedding

Stopped watching half way through out of frustration. The music was so loud you could not hear the dialogue. April wasn't really a likable character. It was a waste. I picked this movie because I wanted a movie with no poor hard working damsel in distress getting saved by the secretly rich boy friend. Was glad to find a couple of equal standing. But no. This wasn't pleasant to watch. Even with the sound down and sub titles. I enjoy Hallmark movies because of the simple romances but am always frustrated that the female characters always need to be saved or taken care of by the guy or they have to some how change for the guy.

Any Hallmark movie is going to have the same tread: a cheesy screenplay, actors who are too methodical or over the top, and random musical interludes that barely intersect with the plot. But you know, I tolerated this picture just enough to finish it, even though I had no emotional attachment to the story nor did I find any of it funny.

I didn't care for the two main lovers in the slightest. I actually focused more on the main character's two siblings Levi and Rachel - they had a lot of spunk and were interesting to watch.

The fact that this Doctor ends up diagnosing the two women who dislike her the most (Naomi and Esther), anyone can see that from a mile away.

A sharper focus on Jesse's father or Jesse's prior relationship with Naomi may have given the film more life. Ultimately I thought the story was stagnant and mundane.

Real pleasant surprise here.

What I liked:

1) The whole premise was a lot of fun and well executed. I liked how they were fair in their film treatment of both "English" and Amish life.

2) Pretty believable plot all things considered. Yes, there were plot holes and times you had to otherwise suspend disbelief. But generally I was able to stay in the movie.

3) Good acting and character chemistry. The actors seemed to genuinely enjoy being in this film and it showed. On screen, the relationships did not feel forced.

4) Without spoilers, the resolution of the film was fun. Hallmark should take notes, because this is how you do it.

What I didn't like:

1) Sound was awful and inconsistent as others have noted. Also, while the cinematography was good, the color filtering was also not consistent.

This was a movie that was hurt badly by the sound. My wife and I kept cracking up by the audio that was reminiscent of when the first talking movie was being made in ' Singing in the Rain'. You could always tell where the mic was on the actors and the foley artist should have been let go. The actors were good and believable in their roles and was certainly Christian based as dating scenes ended in a warm handshake rather than a night of passion. Sadly, we couldn't believe that no one noticed the horrendous sound and sound editing that reduced an otherwise good movie into an unnecessary and unintentional comedy.

It's a romantic drama in modern times set in New York City and a fictional Stone County, Pennsylvania. It follows the romance of a young veterinarian and a young medical doctor complicated by the vet's Amish heritage.

April Monroe (Galadriel Stineman) is a doctor in her first job at a prominent New York hospital. She is naturally gregarious, but her boss pressures her for spending too much time with patients. She meets young veterinarian Jesse Hardin (Kevin Joy) through a couple of coincidences, and they immediately hit it off. However, April is puzzled because Jesse does not reveal much about himself.

Six months later, April and Jesse are still a thing. We meet April's sister, May (Mary McElree), who married an African American man, Rob (Jordon Crusoe). Jesse must postpone a planned trip with April because his brother, Levi (Travis James), is getting married. Jesse then discloses his family is Amish and that he left the Amish as a teenager after rumspringa for the English world. April goes with Jesse to the wedding and meets his widowed mother, Esther (Pamela Daly), and his younger sister, Rachel (Mercedes Marcial). She also meets Naomi Trotter (Summer Mastain), Jesse's former Amish girlfriend, who is now recently widowed.

The film follows April's reception by various members of Jesse's family and the Amish community and her responses to the positive and negative reactions to her relationship with Jesse. This is a romance movie, so it ends well.

The scenery is lovely. The buggies and clothing don't fit Lancaster County, so the location is elsewhere. There is some nuance among the Amish characters, which is good. The dynamics are easier to portray because Jesse was never baptized into the Amish church. There are some oddities--during the wedding ceremony of Jesse's brother, the congregation did not look at the couple but stared straight ahead. Some of the vocal liberties that Esther and Naomi take are un-Amish. Most Amish accept English doctors but do like natural medicine when possible. However, generally, the film gave the Amish more personality than is usual in Amish movies.

The script was somewhat predictable, though some characters made artificially quick decisions to create the appropriate climax.