Diverted

I loved this movie. Perhaps because I'm a proud Newfoundlander from that part of the island, perhaps because I heard first-hand what was happening as it was happening, or simply because it was a great tale; probably a mixture of all.

Yes, the budget was typically Canadian - no doubt. And, it was a little annoying to hear some of the leading actors sport fake Irish accents and to watch the movie pass off parts of St. John's as Gander. However, I couldn't have been prouder to see the town rally to support the emergency. It's like they'd done it every day of their lives.

I was moved to tears several times, especially in the beginning. I think they did a great job trying to capture the various tales people had to go through at that time - the personal stories.

In general, it was moving to see the town spotlighted in such a positive way, and to see the typical Newfoundland and Labrador kindness displayed on screen.

I watched a documentary a year after the 9/11 disaster that shared the story of Maritime airport roles on this day. It gripped me as I had been to the Maritime region within a month of 9/11 flying in and out of Boston, and later, by Manhattan on towards my home--pointing out the Trade Center to a tween boy sitting next to me. Recently, I was trying to find that documentary and stumbled across this film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The human element shows up despite it being a secondary movie. The acting is done well and hones in on the highlights and the heart of the Gander people--save the poor "Italian children" who probably know one Italian word, "Si." There are a few things that do not totally add up timing and props--see other reviews which gripe on these matters. Nonetheless, this film captures the heart of the Gander people, the fear of the whole situation, family members who deal with missing loved ones, the scare of stereotyping Muslim people, and why not add potential love to the mix though I do think it necessary for the air traffic controller to sleep with the girl from London. It is a film that I have now shared with several friends/family, and watched numerous times myself. Kudos to Canadian filmmakers!

I don't believe this movie deserves the criticism several others have posted. I think they did a great job telling the basic story and the low-budget several have complained about makes no difference to me because the tale was told well and the movie looked great in High Definition. The credits say it was shot in St. John's Newfoundland, Hamilton, Ontario and London, England. All the locations were beautifully photographed.

I think what came through most clearly was the kindness and generosity of the population of Gander, Newfoundland. That such a thing could still happen in this modern world will come as a shock to most people, but clearly the people of Newfoundland couldn't imagine it happening any other way.

I'm glad this story was told and I appreciate the mention of the book by another poster. I do recall that the government of the United States was generally ungrateful and that's a shame. However, the people of Gander didn't do what they did to get gratitude. Their charity is appreciated and was fantastic. That came through in the movie. They probably did even more kind deeds and you couldn't make a movie long enough to include them all. The negative comments I'm reading here about the movie are just too petty to take seriously.

It was a good movie and kept my attention completely. Worth watching for sure.

As a witness to the 9/11 diversion to Gander back in 2001 I was extremely eager to watch this film. I was more then thrilled when I heard there would be a movie based on the kindness and generosity fellow Newfoundlanders showed over 6000 strangers from all over the world. But when I finally watched the movie I was more then disappointed! The storyline was half-decent and had some great scenes portraying how Newfoundlanders respond to a crisis with their acts of Kindness as well as focusing on some of the local traditions (screeched in). But it would have been nice for the writer to put some research into the town of Gander in which the movie was depicting. For example: People in Gander do not have strong Irish accents, the school is called Gander Academy and not Gander Elementry, the neighbouring town which also went to great lenghts to house and provide necessities to those stranded is in fact called Glenwood and not Glendale (I think this deserved some recognition and the name should have at least been correct) The highway the man took to go to Port Aux Basques to catch the ferry to NS is in fact the Trans Canada Highway which is not by any means a single lane road with no lines and bush overgrowth reaching the side of the road. There are no Dairy Queens or 'Gateway' hotels. (Catchy name though) and the Ocean is not a simple hike from Gander. A lake, yes, Ocean definitely not. The nearest Ocean to Gander is at least an hour drive, if not a little more.

For a low-budget film the actors did a good job considering what they were given to work with! Kodos to them... But as for the rest of it... I expected more.

I give this movie a 4 out of 10.... Next time if your writing a movie based on actual events and places, a little research would be appreciated!

6.4 stars.

Maybe it wasn't totally no budget, there are some great scenes that seemed polished. In fact, the whole film looks well done and not cheaply made, but it feels cheap and I feel cheap for watching it. There seems to be about 7 main characters. I'll spitball it and say the hotel concierge was one of them along with a man and a woman of middle age who are seated next to each other on the plane. Then there is the air traffic controller who is a recognizable actor (X-Men, Rookie Blue, and a plethora of movies and shows), and a young woman with semi-dark skin, and maybe they are attempting to portray her as an Arab, it's uncertain, but she's English. And then there's the actual Arab who is a New Yorker and they are looking strangely at him and treating him with disdain because he's Muslim. And finally there's an arrogant businessman who has to get back to New York immediately, and thinks the whole world owes him. So anyways, those are the main characters.

The film was good for the first hour, then we are dealing with some cut rate relationships forming between two couples and the snooty businessman is all up in everyone's face because he feels like his life is more important than anyone else. The hotel worker is probably the only person with any redeeming qualities. I liked her portrayal of an Irish woman who lives in NewFoundland and works in a hotel that is inundated by thousands of passengers who have no place to go now that no planes are allowed to fly into the USA due to the twin towers being attacked. Otherwise the film was a disappointment after about 50 minutes.