South invading the North?

I noticed that too. Especially being from Pennsylvania I know for a fact no one have accents like that anywhere in the state. They're accents in Northern or Northwestern or Pittsburgh are definitely different from a Southeastern, but there was a little too much of a Southern twang going on in some of those farmers accents. Took me out of the movie just a little bit, but I overall enjoyed the film.

You'll hear southern accents as you near the WV border.

Using a southern or hick accent is how Hollywood lets the audience know that the person speaking is either poor or ignorant, and it differentiates them from the smart, successful people. It's a very helpful device.

Sarcasm intended. But, I'm only slightly exaggerating.

As Balcorn said, definitely a lot of people with southern accents as you approach WV, as I noticed the last two times I visited the area, which I find fascinating for not just that area but in the many, many places this kind of thing occurs.

And as zziiyy said, Hollywood uses that accent to portray dumb people. I think the most obvious southern accent was from Lucas Black. His character was loud, obnoxious and the one that spent the money he didn't yet have on a brand new sports car.

His accent typically wouldn't be from anywhere in PA, but it is possible that someone could move from the deep south to a farm in PA. However, I think it was stereotyping when the director decided to hire Lucas Black to play the dumb goofball hillbilly farmer. He could have asked Lucas Black to tone down the accent, assuming he is capable, or hire someone else for the role so as to not perpetuate a Hollywood stereotype.

Anyway, it certainly is possible that somewhere out there, some country bumkin from the deep south is the dumbest guy in some town up north. However, it seems pretty evident that the director wanted to stereotype to add the dramatic effect of a southern accent, as is often the case.

I know this thread is three years old but i just watched this movie and, being from the South, I have to wonder what anybody on this thread was talking about. There is not a single Southern accent anywhere in this movie. Many of the people had a rural accent but none of them were Southern by any stretch of the imagination.