Finally,
someone aspired to create the Great American actuarial movie. Sadly, it was
made possible by one of the worst human tragedies in American history—the horrific
terrorist attacks of 9-11. In the short-term, most victims just wanted the
terrorists and their enablers to pay, but trial lawyer Ken Feinberg knew some
cash payouts would provide tangible help over the long-run. His stewardship of
the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund is the focus of Sara
Colangelo’s Worth, which screens today during the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Feinberg
is the sort of colorfully cynical attorney who can lecture his law students on
the art of putting a dollar figure to a human life and leave them impressed by
his wit. Sitting down with the grieving victims of the World Trade Center,
Pentagon, and hijacked airliner crashes will be a different matter.
Nevertheless, he jumps in with both feet when the Federal government creates
the fund as a way to indemnify the airlines against potentially bankrupting
lawsuits. Here’s the tricky part: for the fund to stave off class action suits,
it should have 80% participation by the filing deadline. No problem Feinberg
thinks. Then he has his first informational session with victims, where he
shoves both feet in his mouth, up to his knees.
Soon,
Charles Wolf emerges as a leader of the families and the chief critic of
Feinberg’s one-size-fits-all formula for compensation. Yet, the legal
bean-counter insists on his methodology, despite the heart-breaking one-on-one
meetings conducted by his chief lieutenants: partner Camille Biros and Priya
Khundi, a new associate, whose previous firm was headquartered in the World
Trade Center.
There
are a number of problems with Worth, but they all boil down to the central
truth: a film addressing an event like September 11th really can’t make
a mediocre job of it. This should be a serious, nonpartisan film, but Colangelo
and screenwriter Max Borenstein just cannot resist depicting Pres. George W.
Bush as a cartoon blowhard, which immediately cheapens the film. Yes, there are
emotionally devastating moments when families discuss their loved ones, but the
manipulation is glaringly obvious. Frankly, the real suspense of Worth is
built around whether or not Feinberg will finally start to connect with people
on a human level, before it is too late.
Michael
Keaton does a nice job of conveying Feinberg’s cerebral nature, even though his
mushy Boston accent is like fingernails on a blackboard. Stanley Tucci’s Wolf
is almost impossibly wise, but he still has some effectively poignant moments. However,
Amy Ryan and Laura Benanti truly represent the heart and soul of the film,
portraying the empathetic Biros and FDNY widow Karen Abate, the first case
Feinberg handles personally—and potentially the trickiest, due to her husband’s
secret life. Yet, probably the most honest character would be Lee Quinn (played
with scenery-chewing relish by Tate Donovan), a presumed composite lawyer, who segued
from arguing for higher compensation for low income victims as a DC politician
to representing high income victims demanding greater recognition of their
bonus structures as an ambulance-chasing private practice attorney.
Throughout
Worth, we can see the germ of a good movie in there, but the one on the
screen never sufficiently comes together. There are interesting scenes
scattered throughout Worth and you have to give credit to Colangelo for
taking on a subject so deeply steeped in legal and economic details, but the
resulting film just isn’t good enough. Frustratingly hard to recommend, Worth
screens again today (2/2) in Park City, as part of this year’s Sundance.
