An Uncommon Grace

source: An Uncommon Grace

I really wanted to love this movie. It was a new take on an old story line and the story itself was very good. Another refreshingly clean movie from Hallmark. Even though the story was great, the acting was stilted and seemed low budget for a Hallmark movie. Jes Macallan was amazing, and so was Kelly McGillis... which I didn't even realize was her until after the movie was over. But all the other actors seemed dry and rehearsed. I wish Hallmark would have put more backing into it as it could have been a 10. I have watched numerous Amish movies over the years, and I wish Sean Faris had too... the accent was awful and very distracting. And I didn't really feel any chemistry between Maccallan and Faris, so that didn't help either. Overall it was more enjoyable than most of the rude, crude, and over the top stuff that is out there today. A good break from the tedium of life. Just left with the wish that it could have been so much better!

This movie gets a little heavy on Amish bashing, although the source of conflict is an unusually strict sect. Either way, it shows the worst side of strict organized religion. This is not the most typical Hallmark romance, but it has some things in common with some of those that have revolved around the Amish. The story also gets a little convoluted, but I enjoyed it. Jes Macallan and Sean Ferris don't have much time together on screen to show any chemistry, but there is some there.

Seriously, if you have trouble sleeping, this is the film for you. Acting? Embarassing. Plot? Even more embarrassing. The best part of the film is that you sleep right through it.

An Uncommon Grace was a VERY good Hallmark movie with a awesome cast, Yes I will recommend it. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 3/2/2021

I can't speak to the accuracy of the full portrayal of the Amish, although it is clear that this represents one of the stricter Amish sects, and they are right about some aspects (i.e. no reflectors on buggies). I thought it was a good story that held my interest. It has some similarities to Witness (not just Kelly McGillis!) in terms of the outsider in their midst. There's good tension in multiple story lines, and a crime to solve as well.

Not a bad movie as far as Hallmark standards, but the portrayal of Amish culture and lifestyles is terrible. Not accurate at all.

It is set in modern times in Kentucky in a Swartzentruber Old Order Amish community. It is a Hallmark Movies & Mystery Original. The Swartzentruber Amish are the most isolating Amish group. Grace Conner (Jes Macallan) is an army nurse home from Afghanistan and deciding whether to re-enlist for another tour. Her grandmother, Elizabeth (Kelly McGillis), and sister Becky (Hil Horvath) live next to a Swartzentruber Amish farm. Grace left home after high school about 10 years earlier. In the meantime, Becky and her parents were killed in an auto accident, so Becky lives with Elizabeth. Levi Troyer (Sean Faris), is a Swartzentruber Amish unmarried young adult. He comes home to find his stepfather, Abraham Miller, murdered on the floor, and his pregnant mother, Claire (Pamela Daly), wounded in the next room. He rushes to the Connor home, and Grace comes back to tend to the mother. Claire's two small children, Albert (Isaacs Kimbrough) and Sarah (Isabel Young), are sent to live temporarily with Claire's sister, Rose Fisher (Mary Tanner Bailey). Rose has been banned because she married a non-Swartzertruber Amish man, so Clair and Rose have not spoken in 10 years. Sheriff Newsome (Robert Peters) and Deputy Small (Cory Scott Allen) come to initiate an investigation. It appears the murderer wanted money. A small-time drug dealer just released from prison, Owen Peterson (Neil Mulac), becomes a prime suspect. The story progresses, and we watch a relationship develop between Levi and Grace. Levi is unusual because he loves to read and wants to expand his world. He also gets a forbidden cellphone in case of emergencies. Becky Connor is also acting strangely and often doesn't answer her cellphone. Antique items disappear from the shed on the Conner property. The various mysteries unfold through the film. Bishop Weaver (Tom Luce) sends Rose away and tries to prevent Grace from interacting with Daniel and Claire. He also tries to get Levi to marry his daughter, Zillah (Emily Basso), who sees Levi as a prime catch. In the end, the mysteries are all solved, and a romantic relationship develops as it should. Frankly, this movie is a slander of the Swartzentruber Amish. No Amish bishop is as powerful as Bishop Weaver; a bishop is the leader of a team of ordained men. He does not make decisions on his own, much less order young men who to marry. It's not clear to me that reading books is a shunning offense even among the Swartzentrubers. Yes, the Swartzentrubers don't have reflective tape on their buggies, but they do use lanterns. Local non-Amish would know this and would not speed down Amish roads as Grace did. On the other hand, the Swartzentrubers are not known for the very tidy farmyards and houses portrayed in this film, nor are they snappy dressers as some more "liberal" Amish. Levi, at most, could have a poor grade 8 education; his ability to relate to Grace defies belief.

There are so many things wrong with this moving, but what dooms it is the BAD acting. Also the accents are bizarre.

I really enjoyed this move, Sean Faris is one of my favorite actors and he did a wonderful job in this movie. This was my first time seeing Jes Macallan but she and Sean had great chemistry. I am not familiar enough with Amish ways to speak about the accuracy of their portrayal.