WORTH
A riveting moral drama about the cost of honoring every life.
Should You Watch It?
WORTH gives you a serious, riveting drama about the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Michael Keaton’s performance as attorney and mediator Ken Feinberg is excellent, and the film presents previously unknown circumstances about 9/11 in a dramatic fashion.
Its strongest idea is also its moral center: every human life has value and dignity. The main characters seek justice while wrestling with a formula that places monetary values on lives lost or wounded. But the film also includes strong obscene language and storylines involving a same-sex couple and a family with children stemming from an extramarital affair. These themes can feel politically motivated rather than necessary to the storytelling.
Adults who can engage those concerns with discernment may find WORTH deeply worthwhile. Families should keep it away from children and young teens. The practical answer: WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAfter the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Congress appoints attorney and mediator Ken Feinberg to lead the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Feinberg must create a formula to determine compensation for victims’ families and enroll 80% of the victims within a two-year deadline. With his operations director Camille and his staff, he faces grieving families, an opposition team led by widower Charles Wolf, and the painful question of whether one life can be valued above another.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means WORTH is exceptionally effective as a drama. The film is well done, with excellent acting from Michael Keaton as Feinberg. It tells a riveting story and reveals previously unknown circumstances about 9/11 in a dramatic presentation.
The film’s strongest achievement is the way it turns a complicated compensation process into a human conflict involving grief, justice, and the dignity of every person.
The Worldview
WORTH promotes a Christian, moral worldview through its central claim that every human life has value and dignity. It treats life as sacred and shows its main characters seeking justice. The story also examines the danger of reducing people to numbers in a formula and the painful consequences of placing different monetary values on different lives.
The film’s worldview becomes less clear when it centers themes involving equality for a same-sex couple and a family with children stemming from an extramarital affair. Given the thousands of claimants represented in the story, these elements can feel more like political statements than necessary storytelling. The film also presents politicians who seek to put a humanist price on what individuals are worth.
At its best, WORTH insists that no person should be treated as merely a number. Scripture grounds that dignity in creation: “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Christian, moral themes promoting the importance and dignity of every human life, respecting life as sacred, and the main characters seek to uphold justice, but some statements about same-sex marriage and rights appear politically motivated and politicians seek to put a humanist price on what individuals are worth
Foul Language
Three “f” words, one “GD” profanity and a few “BS” words
Violence
Brief chaos scenes, some screaming heard, and some violent descriptions given by witnesses of the 9/11 attacks
Sex
No sex scenes but a same-sex couple figures in part of the story
Nudity
No
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
None.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film asks whether every life has equal value. What does it mean for every person to bear God’s image?
Genesis 1:27 · James 3:9Feinberg’s work requires him to face grieving families as people rather than numbers. How can we protect human dignity when dealing with large problems?
Philippians 2:3–4 · Romans 12:10The story centers on justice and the needs of victims’ families. What does Scripture require from people who make difficult decisions affecting others?
Micah 6:8 · Proverbs 31:8–9How should Christians respond when a film presents moral or political ideas they believe are wrong?
Ephesians 4:15 · 1 Peter 3:15The Final Word
WORTH is a well-acted, riveting drama with a serious moral center. Its strong language and politically charged themes make it unsuitable for children and young teens, but discerning adults may find its defense of human dignity deeply worthwhile. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For another family choice, see.
