TAGLINE: Sometimes the simplest idea can make the biggest difference.
It amazes me when I constantly hear people say �they don�t make �em like they used to� only to hear the same people bash a movie like this that is such a film. It also confuses me to no end when I see critics like Roger Ebert say films like The Cell are among the best of the year, leaving this one in the dust.
Pay It Forward is simply an amazing movie, based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Reminiscent of days past, the movie uses a dream cast to tell a beautiful story of how to make the world a better place. Kevin Spacey is Eugene Simonet, a seventh grade Social Studies teacher with mysterious burn scars. Every year he gives the difficult, but possible, assignment of finding a way to change the world and putting it into action. This year, he comes to a new school and is challenged by Trevor McKinney, portrayed by Haley Joel Osment. Trevor�s plan is the Pay It Forward plan. Do BIG favors for three different people. In return, they will do favors for three people, and so on. This strikes up a problem with Trevor�s mother, Arlene (Helen Hunt), when Trevor invites Jerry (James Caviezel), a homeless man, to stay in their home�well, garage. Of course, Arlene does not even notice the strange man until the next morning because, being in recovery, she falls of the wagon that night, making Trevor a bit pissed off. Arlene rushes to Trevor�s school to confront Eugene, only to be shut down. She then confronts Jerry, only to be told her son�s plan to change the world. Eventually, a romance brews between Eugene and Arlene only to be disrupted by Trevor�s absentee father. However, this is not the whole story.
In parallel to this story, we are given Chris, a reporter who receives a brand new Jaguar from a stranger after his car is wrecked. Finding this more than a little insane, he contacts this strange man and discovers the Pay It Forward method. Intrigued by this idea, he goes from person to person trying to find the source of this hysteria. His search eventually leads him to Las Vegas where he finally finds Trevor and makes him America�s angel.
Sure, the story seems improbable, but that is the point. The story is like the concept of Pay It Forward itself. It may appear ridiculous and unlikely, but it is very possible. If everyone would have an open mind and just a little bit of faith and optimism, the world could become a wonderful place.
As you could have probably guessed, the cast is wonderful. Kevin Spacey, though he does not affect me as he did in American Beauty, is still quite good. Helen Hunt gives, what I would consider, the performance of her career. And Haley Joel Osment once again expresses a rare talent in someone so young. Hell, I have seen actors who have been in films since Haley�s age who still cannot compare to his range. He and Helen Hunt have a very good chance of getting Oscar nominations, and Kevin Spacey might sneak by with one as well.
Director Mimi Leder, who I do not consider as great as say Cameron Crowe, is still very effective. She manages to capture a scene and draw emotions from the audience, as she proved with Deep Impact, a touching film that could have been a typical action flick. In Pay It Forward, she manages to grasp a side of Vegas rarely, if ever, seen in a movie. Instead of conveying it as a sleazy sandbox for elderly people with too much money, she shows that it has a heart.
I love a film like this because it is not overly preachy, but still very spiritual. The movie may actually make you feel satisfied knowing that it is possible to change the world. Take a little time and hope and pass on the word to pay it forward. I'll admit that film started to lose me in a few predictable scenes, but I decided to give this movie the edge for the performances (mainly Osment) and the optimism it carries.
