DRAMA

A successful pastry chef, Dean, has a series of unfortunate car accidents and needs extensive physical therapy. The problem is he is trapped in a web of no fault insurance bureaucracy that prevents him from getting the help he needs. Dean has to fight the system while forging his own path to recovery. He unearths faults in the auto insurance industry through his own harrowed experience.

FAIR

FIRST PERSON

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Yes the book profile accurately reflects how the auto insurance industry failed Dean. It might help to mention what his injuries were so that readers understand why he needed benefits as well as physical therapy.

When the first car accident occurs there is a tension of knowing it would turn out worse than it seems. This tension builds until the talk with the general practitioner. The discussion foreshadows the problem that the no fault insurance will expire at some point and acts as a catalyst to discover all of the other fishy practices of the insurance industry.

There can be a repetition in how the auto industry failed in helping insure proper recovery and the courts are in favor of the auto industry not the victim. Once this point is established it is better to have rising and falling actions of new information so that the narrative has momentum. Because the information is understandably explained in the first mention, it does not need a summary later on.It could also be more compelling if the emotions are shown rather than told sometimes. For example the frustration at having to appear at independent consultations per the insurance contract could be shown rather than stated. It could be shown through external reactions such as slamming a door or a heated conversation as frustration would not be known to cinematic audience that can't see inside a character's mind like in a written text.

THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

The hook is that what appears to be a minor whiplash turns out to be far more serious and exposes the failings of the insurance industry as the worse the pain gets the less help is given.

This might appeal to small to medium fan base of an older sophisticated crowd that enjoy corporate dramas about social issues. As this is not a criminal or group issues, but a civic institutional issue, it might have a smaller base unless given a flashy adaptation of bigger stakes such as ''The Big Short.''

This likely would fly under the radar as it is about physical therapy, but no actual changes were made the the auto insurance industry. Many of the characters are static characters so there is not much room for acting range to garner awards attention.

MEDIUM BUDGET

A CIVIL ACTION, ERIN BROCKOVICH, FORD V. FERRARI, THREE BILLBOARDS, THE BIG SHORT, VICE, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

What is unique about the story is that it highlights the major issue of the auto insurance and insurance industry playing “pace the puck” in terms of responsibly treating their subscriber, who is the victim in a no fault accident. By exposing other cases that are similar within the court proceeding this will strengthen the argument of an industry wide societal problem that needs to be fixed.

The lead character is resilient in pursuing the proper treatment with doctors and fighting his legal case in court for treatment he needs after two car accidents covered under his insurance through no-fault claims. He has to overcome a lot of issues while being injured and find their own treatments when the medical and the insurance systems fail him. This presents a strong character who does not give up.

The rising and falling actions of the two car accidents and medical insurance drama afterwards could have more levels. The insurance companies start off bad and then neither get worse or better throughout the work, but as the main antagonist, they should get more problematic as time goes on. Making the insurance the villain who increases being antagonizing over time instead of taking about how the pain is getting worse will make a more follow-able argument about the corruption of the industry.

Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, TV Series - Limited Run / Mini-Series

WORK IN PROGRESS

While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.

By raising the stakes, either financially, medically, or emotionally, the levels of the rising and falling actions in failing to take on the auto insurance industry due to no one being on the victims side will have elevating levels to become emotionally invested in and be easier to follow what the events are leading towards in the climax of the court decision and triumphs in the physical therapy. When everything is at the level of downtrodden is it better to have high and low points to follow the trajectory of a three act structure where the lowest point is towards the end of the second act. The institutional problem goes unchanged but could prove more impactful by using the court to showcase how the problem is larger than just the protagonist in an effort to get Hollywood to influence social change. Although it is a social problem, only having an individual example rather than a group does not have the same engagement as how the change would affect others or why the problem is nationally important. The audience would understand the problems presented, but would benefit from solutions in order to takeaway how to change the issues.