Overall this was a good film, but being friends with some Amish people and living close by, the inaccuracies bothered me. The plot and storyline were good and the actors were pretty good, but the directing could have been a little better. The inaccuracies, mainly the way they pronounced Lancaster and the fact that they spoke high German instead of Pennsylvania Dutch, just seemed to ruin the movie to me. It also bothered me that they didn't use the right accents. If you don't know any Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch, you will most likely think this is a pretty good movie. If you know the Amish or some Pennsylvania Dutch you won't enjoy this movie as much. I did enjoy the fact that they portrayed them as people not just "outsiders" as they usually view the "English," but, in my opinion, if you are going to include the Amish in a film, it should be a little more accurate to their culture.

This is a great family movie!! My husband and I watched and started to reminisce about Michael Landon and all the wonderful movies and series he did. Our children grew up watching "Little House on the Prairie" Now we hope that Michael Junior can do the same. I think he already has. I do hope that some day Michael Landon Jr makes a series for TV. Suggestion: How about a series about Saving Sarah Cain? Oh this is such a good movie. I purchased the sound track also. The music was relaxing and the movie touching and honest. The Landon's are a gift from God. I would recommend this movie for a nice family night at the movies with pop-corn, blankets, and a box of puffs!! AMEN 3/9/09

This comment is an attempt to balance out a "review" that broad brushed the acting in "Saving Sarah Cain" as wooden, the situations unrealistic, and the movie nothing more than sappy and clichéd. There was no sense of giving the reader the pros and cons to this film. As such, the author's "take" on the film had more to say about his or her film preferences than it did about the merits of the film itself. While the premise of "Saving Sarah Cain" is somewhat of a stretch — relocating orphaned Amish children to a big city in order to live with an "English outsider" — the film is nevertheless intriguing and heartwarming. To read such harsh criticism, however, one has to wonder if there some "rule" that says a good movie must be dark, depraved, brash, violent, sardonic or just plain jaded? If these harsh criticisms had been applied to yet another romantic comedy, I would say that the man-meets-woman premise has been milked to death and probably does deserve some of those criticisms. However, "Saving Sarah Cain" is not at all shallow, shows no disrespect or flippancy toward Amish culture, and the subject matter itself is not at all overdone. The acting on the part of the Amish children's characters was sensitive and convincing to the point of wondering if they somehow WERE drawn from among the Amish (or had lived among them in order to become true to their mannerisms). In addition, the situations and the psychological reactions to them were portrayed well enough to make the characters believable, though it is, in fact, based upon a work of fiction.It would seem that the review presently leading the pack for this film advanced the idea that a "real movie" cannot be touching. However, I would say that sentimentality is not the problem. To the contrary, it is much harder to portray that which is innocent, earnest, restrained, modest or pure than it is to portray the hardened, jaded, disturbed, dysfunctional or brash characters that many dramas either call for. Of course, we're not living in the Silver Screen era, so it should be no surprise that this sort of movie — the director, script and its actors — would draw criticism from those who think there's only one way to make a decent movie: the way everyone else is doing it. I cannot name one film or work of fiction that does not follow a protagonist/antagonist formula, so the "cliché" criticism in the prior review is nothing more than a Red Herring. In conclusion, if films that focus on an uplifting ending and steer clear of violence and stereotypical subjects and characters do not appeal, don't blame the director. Blame it on the fact that NO such movie is one's cup of tea. You'll never see me write a horror movie review because I would not do the subtleties of the horror genre justice. Likewise, I do not wish to read another review written by someone who obviously doesn't "get" the audience to whom "Saving Sarah Cain" is directed. There are some people who like to post reviews simply because they are contrarians and are under the impression that intellectual and artistic prowess must be demonstrated via criticism. The art is never good enough. The wine is never good enough. The films are never good enough. You get the idea… Ignore them. "Saving Sarah Cain" gets my vote for a movie well worth watching.

This one is not to be missed. The writing is brilliant, the acting pitch perfect and the direction of Michael Landon Jr. reminds me of why I loved the films of his father. Cultural barriers are so well presented but handled with loving care that it makes you appreciate, or should appreciate, the differences in us all. I lived in Amish country for 17 years and came to love the simple, honest life of these people. And even though differences exist, we all have the same hopes and desires, the love and compassion as human beings, no matter what our exterior looks like. My hat is off to everyone for such a moving production. No spoilers here, just watch the movie. You won't be disappointed.