A warmly staged, emotionally direct pro-shot that turns a 9/11 aftermath story into something humane, funny, and deeply communal. It’s especially rewarding if you like ensemble-driven musical theater, uplifting true stories, and performance-first filmmaking that preserves the energy of the stage.
Come from Away
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Comedy · Drama
Thu · 1h 47m
Director: Christopher Ashley
Starring: Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage
Overview
Filmed live on Broadway, the Tony Award-winning musical tells the remarkable true story of 38 flights grounded in a small Canadian town on September 11, 2001. As the locals host these “come from aways,” they come together and find hope.
Director
Christopher Ashley
Cast
Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage
Curator Review
Verdict
A warmly staged, emotionally direct pro-shot that turns a 9/11 aftermath story into something humane, funny, and deeply communal. It’s especially rewarding if you like ensemble-driven musical theater, uplifting true stories, and performance-first filmmaking that preserves the energy of the stage.
Best for
musical theater fans
viewers who like true stories about community and resilience
audiences open to earnest, feel-good storytelling
fans of ensemble casts and performance-driven cinema
people interested in 9/11-era human stories without cynicism
Skip if
you dislike filmed stage productions
you want a gritty, realistic disaster drama
you prefer subtle, understated storytelling
you’re looking for a conventional movie-musical with cinematic location filming
you’re sensitive to 9/11 subject matter
Overview
Come from Away is one of those rare stage-to-screen recordings that understands the value of preserving the live event rather than trying to reinvent it. The result is brisk, funny, and moving, with an ensemble that sells both the comedy of cultural collision and the emotional weight of strangers taking care of one another under impossible circumstances.
Worth noting
What makes it work is its sincerity. The show never pretends the events are small, but it finds its power in ordinary acts of hospitality, confusion, and trust. That balance of warmth and grief gives it a genuine lift, and the filmed presentation captures the choreography, pacing, and communal momentum with real care.
Bottom line
If you’re allergic to Broadway earnestness, this may feel a little broad in places. But if you’re receptive to a musical that aims straight for the heart and largely lands every beat, it’s a standout. It’s less a movie adaptation than a beautifully preserved performance, and that’s exactly why it resonates.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Cameron (4.5★) · 685 likes
EAT SHIT DEAR EVAN HANSEN
JACK TUCKER · 580 likes
theater kids need their own letterboxd so they have a place to let it all out
Jay (5★) · 399 likes
the actual tony winner for best new musical in 2017
alice (5★) · 304 likes
i am not a secretary. i’m a sexy-tary
Jack Moulton (4.5★) · 289 likes
This is Broadway corniness at its best. Utterly earnest and life-affirming. It works because there's not a single weak link. Any element not at its best could have derailed it. So it's easy to forgive the exposition-landfills and broader strokes due to the strength of its cast and feel-good vibes. I had seen the touring production a couple of years ago but I think this filmed version was better. I was really impressed by the blocking and editing. Definitely a shade above Hamilton from last year.
A more austere 9/11-related film that approaches the day with urgency and respect, for those wanting a serious companion piece.
Themes
community under pressure, post-9/11 resilience, hospitality and empathy, collective grief, hope after crisis, cross-cultural connection, true-story musical, ensemble solidarity