Michael Keaton stars with Stanley Tucci, Amy Ryan, Tate Donovan, Shunori Ramanathan, Laura Benanti, Talia Balsam, and Chris Tardio in "Worth" from 2020.
Worth is the story of the attempt by the government to manage the inevitable lawsuits that will come after the 9/11 tragedy. An attorney, Kenneth Feinberg, who wants to help, signs on pro bono to bring in 80% of the survivor families and decide on an equitable payment for each person.
Feinberg and his assistant, Camille (Ryan) soon learn that it's an impossible task. They are dealing with diverse situations in each case, not to mention angry and grieving people who are convinced the government is out to cheat them.
Feinberg sets up parameters, but they're a disaster. Those who discover later that they are ill from being on the scene are not eligible, gay partners are not eligible, and on and on. The big earners, represented by Tate Donovan, want their award increased.
Charles Wolf, a man who lost his wife on 9/11, sets up a Fix the Fund organization, which has many members, while Feinberg can't get sign-up from 15% of the people. Eventually Feinberg begins to understand where Wolf is coming from, the need for justice, and for the worth of life being predicated on individual factors.
Several New York actors here, including the talented Laura Benanti as a widow who learns about her husband's secret; Carolyn Mignini, another Broadway presence, Victor Slezak, and a few others.
The acting is wonderful. Keaton plays a man struggling to understand what he's gotten himself into, and Tucci is an intense and passionate person struggling to convince Feinberg that he's going about his job backwards. Both of them are opera fans, and both men care about the survivors. All of the actors are very natural and realistic.
Having lived two neighborhoods away from the Twin Towers when 9/11 happened, reliving it was no picnic, especially for some reason seeing all the flyers pasted on storefronts with photos of lost people. The fire department a block away from me lost everyone. Such incredible loss of good people with families left rudderless. It was a traumatic and horrible time for them. And it's still going on, as people are developing illnesses even now from their presence on the site.
One thing we know, there isn't enough money in the world that will bring their loved ones back. What they wanted was someone to listen, to acknowledge their grief, to help, and to look at them as individuals. It took awhile, but Ken Feinberg and his staff finally caught on.
As an aside, I am a former opera singer. Everybody and their uncle was asking me about the song with the words lost my father, lost my ticket etc. The song is I Lost a Sock from something called Lost Objects performed by Bang on a Can.
When the movie begins, there is a number from Die Fledermaus. On the train, Feinberg listens to the Lakme duet. When he and Tucci discuss Cecilia Bartoli in the office, they are discussing the aria Parto from La Clemenza di Tito that is playing. Hope this helps. So many questions, so little time.
Worth is the story of the attempt by the government to manage the inevitable lawsuits that will come after the 9/11 tragedy. An attorney, Kenneth Feinberg, who wants to help, signs on pro bono to bring in 80% of the survivor families and decide on an equitable payment for each person.
Feinberg and his assistant, Camille (Ryan) soon learn that it's an impossible task. They are dealing with diverse situations in each case, not to mention angry and grieving people who are convinced the government is out to cheat them.
Feinberg sets up parameters, but they're a disaster. Those who discover later that they are ill from being on the scene are not eligible, gay partners are not eligible, and on and on. The big earners, represented by Tate Donovan, want their award increased.
Charles Wolf, a man who lost his wife on 9/11, sets up a Fix the Fund organization, which has many members, while Feinberg can't get sign-up from 15% of the people. Eventually Feinberg begins to understand where Wolf is coming from, the need for justice, and for the worth of life being predicated on individual factors.
Several New York actors here, including the talented Laura Benanti as a widow who learns about her husband's secret; Carolyn Mignini, another Broadway presence, Victor Slezak, and a few others.
The acting is wonderful. Keaton plays a man struggling to understand what he's gotten himself into, and Tucci is an intense and passionate person struggling to convince Feinberg that he's going about his job backwards. Both of them are opera fans, and both men care about the survivors. All of the actors are very natural and realistic.
Having lived two neighborhoods away from the Twin Towers when 9/11 happened, reliving it was no picnic, especially for some reason seeing all the flyers pasted on storefronts with photos of lost people. The fire department a block away from me lost everyone. Such incredible loss of good people with families left rudderless. It was a traumatic and horrible time for them. And it's still going on, as people are developing illnesses even now from their presence on the site.
One thing we know, there isn't enough money in the world that will bring their loved ones back. What they wanted was someone to listen, to acknowledge their grief, to help, and to look at them as individuals. It took awhile, but Ken Feinberg and his staff finally caught on.
As an aside, I am a former opera singer. Everybody and their uncle was asking me about the song with the words lost my father, lost my ticket etc. The song is I Lost a Sock from something called Lost Objects performed by Bang on a Can.
When the movie begins, there is a number from Die Fledermaus. On the train, Feinberg listens to the Lakme duet. When he and Tucci discuss Cecilia Bartoli in the office, they are discussing the aria Parto from La Clemenza di Tito that is playing. Hope this helps. So many questions, so little time.