Pay It Forward
by Mimi Leder
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Jay Mohr, Jim Caviezel, Kevin SpaceyDirector: Mimi Leder
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: Jonathan Treisman
Producer: Mary McLaglen
Producer: Paddy Carson
Producer: Peter Abrams
Producer: Robert L. Levy
Writer: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Writer: Leslie Dixon
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 123 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-05-15
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- TESTED.PLAYS FINE
Movie Reviews of Pay It Forward
Movie Review: Movie Of The Year, Simply As Good As It Gets
Summary: 5 Stars
Is it possible that altruism can exist in the world today? Can anyone really perform an altruistic act for another? Would anyone anywhere even be willing to consider such a thing, let alone actually try it? And what would happen if they did? It's the stuff of which great philosophies are made, and in this case, the stuff of great cinema. In "Pay It Forward," directed by Mimi Leder and adapted from the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, the subject of altruism and it's possible effects is addressed through one of the most thought provoking, emotionally charged dramas of the year (or of any year, for that matter). It begins when a Las Vegas seventh grade Social Studies teacher, Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey), gives his class an assignment: Come up with an idea that could ultimately change the world. And implement it. It's a thoughtful exercise, used by an insightful teacher in an effort to get his students to think, to explore the possibilities of the mind, wherein, he tells them, anything is possible. And after many years of teaching, Simonet finally encounters a student, Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment), who actually comes up with a unique idea: Do something for someone else, something "hard." But don't ask them to pay it back; instead, have them "pay it forward." And do it for three people. Then those three do it for three others, and on and on. Simply put: What a concept. But can it work? Trevor thinks it can, and despite a number of personal obstacles he must overcome, he embarks upon his altruistic quest. This is a terrific, heart-wrenching story, written for the screen by Leslie Dixon (look for an Oscar nomination) and delivered to perfection by director Leder and a cast that is as good as it gets. Kevin Spacey turns in yet another astounding performance that may very well win him another Oscar. What an amazing actor; he brings Simonet to life with nuance and depth that most other actors can only dream of coming close to. The way he speaks and carries himself, his attention to detail; it all comes together to make Simonet a character you will not soon forget. And, as good as Spacey is, Helen Hunt (Arlene McKinney) proves his equal in a dynamic performance that could garner her another Oscar as well. Her portrayal of Trevor's alcoholic mother, a single mom with two jobs trying to keep her world together, is a soul-stirring, emotional triumph. She gives it everything and more; the vulnerability, the desperation, the pain. And the love. It's all there, and she makes you feel every bit of it with her. As Trevor, Osment does more than hold his own with Spacey and Hunt, turning in a special performance that makes Trevor a truly special, memorable character. There may just be another Oscar nomination in this for him, also. How exceptional it is to have three performances of this caliber in a single movie; what a tribute to the abilities of these three exceptional actors. The supporting cast includes Jay Mohr (Chris Chandler), James Caviezel (Jerry), Angie Dickinson (Grace), and Jon Bon Jovi (Ricky). There should be an Oscar nomination awaiting Mimi Leder, as well, because what she has done with "Pay It Forward," must not go unheralded. Certainly, she had a brilliant cast with which to work, but much of the credit for the emotional levels attained in this film must surely go to her. This film is not merely great, it is truly inspirational, with an ending that will leave your soul in tatters. I can't remember the last time the audience burst into spontaneous applause at the end of a movie, which is what happened when I saw this film. This is one gut-wrenching, emotional ride you absolutely must not miss.
Summary of Pay It Forward
DVDPay It Forward is a multi-level marketing scheme of the heart. Beginning as a seventh-grade class assignment to put into action an idea that could change the world, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. If successful, the resulting network of do-gooders ought to comprise the entire world. Trevor's attempts to get the ball rolling include befriending a junkie (James Caviezel) and trying to set up his recovering-alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) with his burn-victim teacher (Kevin Spacey), who posed the assignment.
While this could have turned into unmitigated schmaltz, the acting elevates this film to mitigated schmaltz. By turns powerful and measured, the performances of Spacey, Hunt, and Osment can't make up for the many missteps in a screenplay that sanitizes the look of the lower-middle class and expects us to believe that homeless alcoholics and junkies speak in the elevated manner of grad students. (Can that really be Angie Dickinson as Hunt's dispossessed mother? Yes, it is!) The germ of the story is a good one, though, and one may wonder how it would have been handled by the likes of Frank Capra, who could balance sentiment with humor. But clearly Capra would never have let the ending of his version to take the nosedive into cliché and pathos that director Mimi Leder has allowed in this film. More than a few viewers will also recognize that Leder has blatantly borrowed her final image from Field of Dreams, where its intended effect was more keenly and honestly felt. --Jim Gay
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