Pay It Forward
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Movie Reviews of Pay It Forward
Movie Review: The most underrated movie of the year
Summary: 5 Stars
With a superior cast - Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, and Jim Caviezel - and a unique story with good plot, it is very unfortunate this film was so underrated. I remember when it came out in theatres and it just seemed to fizzle out of existence. I myself never had the chance to see it in the theatre but rather rented it a few years ago one boring Sunday afternoon and I tell you, I am glad I saw it. It was just brilliant.Helen Hunt plays a single mother who lives with her son (Haley Joel Osment) in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is separated from her sons's father, (Jon Bon Jovi - in a suprisingly good performance)a lush and wife-beater who one day up and left them. Hunt works two jobs to make ends meet and tries to raise her son as best as she can despite her alcoholism.
The story begins with Osment's first day of sixth grade. His first class is social studies and the teacher is none other than Kevin Spacey - with a distorted right side to his face. You immediately wonder what happened to him and what the significance of it is. You will, of course, learn that later in the movie. Osment's social studies teacher is rather extraordinary in that he actually talks to and treats his students like young adults and not just kids. He takes his job seriously and expects the same from his class. He challenges them to an extra-credit assignment by using "the realm of possibility that exists in your mind" and make it reality. Osment rises to the challenge by coming up with a concept of paying good deeds forward to others instead of back to their originators. He actually applies it and puts it into action. What he does and the consequences of each action produce a domino-like affect.
The movie opens up with characters unrelated to Hunt, Spacey, and Osment but you must give it a chance to realize the connection. Just keep watching and don't give up; I almost wanted to, but just then it all begins to come together.
I won't go into any further detail of this movie. Besides, I am sure that by now you have read other reviews of this movie and have a general idea of what it's all about. Some reviewers have given away too much, I think, and it just spoils the whole thing. But you just must watch it. You have to see for yourself the transitions each character (major and minor) goes through.
You will enjoy.
By the way, without even knowing it, this is the first movie I saw with a semi-unknown actor by the name of James Caviezel. He plays the role of Jesus in Mel Gibsons's "Passion of the Christ." I was so surprised and astonished to learn that Caviezel is the homeless guy in this movie that Osment's character brings home as his first deed of paying it forward. Despite Caviezel's dirty and grubby appearance in this film, I still thought he was good-looking. And boy am I right! Jim Caviezel is a fine specimen of a man - and quite an actor, too. I have since seen all of his films and am impressed.
Anyway, this is a brilliant film with a brilliant message. Imagine the possibility: if we all pay it forward. Just imagine. Ok, now let's make it real. I have already, how about you?
Movie Review: An Outstanding Masterpiece.
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is excellent. It contains an extreme wonderful story line.Basically, this movie is about a little boy, Trevor McKinney(Haley Joel Osment)who lives in a single-parent family. His father is a jerk and had went off(drunk and always beats his wife) and his mother (Helen Hunt)is an alcholic. Trevor's mother didn't really paying much attention on him because she had to work two jobs a day to support the family and Trevor dislike her for she always drinks. So, the world just seems like a big dissapointment for the young Trevor who is just 11 years old. When his seventh grade social studies teacher, Eugene Simonet(Kevin Spacey) gave him an assignment entitled "Look at the world around you and fix what you don't like -put it into ACTION", he figured out an idea, a really EXQUISITE one, known as 'Pay It Forward'(the title).
This idea works in the way where he will do 3 great favors to 3 needy people but he didn't want a payback, he wanted them to pay it forward to 3 other people each. It will sums up to 9 people and they will continue to pay it forward to the others. His 3 deeds are towards a total stranger, his mother(Arlene) and his teacher(Eugene Simonet) and his classmate who often got bullied. At first, all his deeds seem to be a failure but actually they are working. His hope then came true and he got an interview from a news reporter who had been searching the source of the pay it forward idea. At last, he's brave enough to save his friend from the bullies. VERY UNFORTUNATELY, he got stabbed with knife by one of the bullies and DIED(the saddest scene). Countless of people came to show their appreciation and gratefulness of his noble and hard efforts after his death being reported in the news.
Well, although this movie has some script errors(an 11 years old kid not supposed to be in the seventh grade) but it brings out the message of 'Nothing is impossible if we try' and 'A noble effort could actually change the cynical world'. Besides, this movie overall is delightfully touching(especially the scene where Trevor died). I can say nothing much about how touching it is because I CRIED everytime I watch this movie. This proves how good is the movie and my heart certainly got moved by it. It's ending is unexpectable and it is very sad.
I am upmost delighted by the extreme performence by the great actors such as Spacey, Helen and especially the young Haley Joel Osment.Well, I have to say that Haley is very special and talented in acting just like in his other movies(The Sixth Sense, Artificial Intelligence). He's amazing despite of his young age. Their wonderful performence capture my entire attention while watching this movie.
This movie by Mimi Leder is indeed an outstanding masterpiece and I hardly praised it with any words. Those who had not watch this movie yet must really go and see it. This is a movie that not to be missed! It has great actors, wonderful story line and good music. For my rating I'll give this movie a 10/10. It is EXCELLENT, DRAMATIC, TOUCHING and PERFECT!
Movie Review: FIVE HANKY TEARJERKER...
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this movie to be a compelling and moving cinematic experience, with outstanding, well nuanced performances by Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, and James Caviezel. It is a bona fide tearjerker. Those who enjoy that genre of film should love this one.The movie opens up with a hostage scene being played out in a residential neighborhood, with cops everywhere. A reporter arrives on the scene only to have the cops try and give him the bum's rush. While the cops are distracted by the reporter, the perpetrator leaves the scene in a sports utitlty vehicle, but not before crashing into and totalling the reporter's car. A mysterious stranger materializes and hands the reporter the keys to a new jaguar, saying that he is giving it to him, no strings attached, since he seems to have run into a little car trouble.
The movie then cuts to a scene four months earlier. The viewer is taken to a seventh grade class room where, in a wonderful scene, student, Trevor McKinney, played by Haley Joel Osment, takes his teacher's assignment of doing something that could potentially change the world to heart. His teacher, an intelligent and controlled man, played by Kevin Spacey, whose burn scarred face masks the scars on his heart, gives out this assignment cavalierly, not really expecting that any of his students will come up with something of real note.
It turns out that Trevor, intelligent and introspective, comes up with an idea whereby he performs a potentially life changing good deed for each of three people. They in turn each do the same for three people. He calls his idea "pay it forward". It is your basic pyramid scheme with a twist. Some of the things he does will tug at your heart strings. Some of them will tickle your funny bone. One thing is for sure, unless you are made of stone, you will be moved.
Meanwhile Trevor's stressed out mom, played by Helen Hunt, is a single parent, holding down two jobs. An alcoholic in the throes of a recovery, she does the best that she can. Split from Trevor's dad, himself an alcoholic who used to batter her, she is struggling to keep on even keel. When Trevor's execution of his teacher's assignment results in what appears to be a potentially life threatening situation, it causes his mom to hit the roof and go to the school, where she confronts the baffled teacher.
Ultimately, Trevor's mom and his teacher are brought together, through the contrivance of Trevor. What initially seemed impossible, becomes a reality, and a relationship blossoms. It turns out that they have more in common than was initially thought. Meanwhile, Trevor's plan is catching on, and a number of wonderful scenes in the film illustrate this.
What happens in this film will, at times, thrill and delight you. At other times, what happens will surely move you to tears. Some may call the movie manipulative and schmaltzy. It is simply just an old fashioned tearjerker.
Movie Review: We now have a formula to create a better world.
Summary: 5 Stars
I will not bore you with the storyline as other reviewers have already touched on that.
If making the world a better place for everyone is important to you, then definitely watching this movie is something you would like to do.
The idea is to help three people in need and when they ask you what do you want in return, all you have to do is tell them that they will not want to do it. Of course, this is reverse psychology and the more you say they will not want to do it, the more they will want to do it. When they pester you for an answer, you then tell them that they have to helped three other people in return. This strategy is called "Pay It Forward". The word Forward meaning instead of paying back the favour to the person who helped you (who has been helped before by others)they will find three other people to return the favour. They do not have to do it, but they will definitely want to do it, because they have been helped unselfishly and it truly is a pleasure to help without asking for any reward in return.
That I believe is the message of this movie. To be touched by someone who has helped you without asking anything in return, because the helper has also been touched by someone who helped him without asking for anything in return, and it goes on ad infinitum.
Is it really an attempt to create utopia? I believe that inside everyone, there is goodness, even in the most hardened heart, and we can unlock this beautiful person when we touch him, when we helped him when he is at a vulnerable point in his life, when he/she was truly crying out for help. 9/11 and the tsunami has shown that humanity is ready to emabrace this idea to alleviate pain and suffering and helped one another.
It is not about giving people fishes and making them dependent on us, it is also about teaching them how to fish for themselves. That is not the issue, the issue is doing something for others without any ulterior motive, because nobody is going to monitor you if you do not continue the idea of helping three people. There is something appealing about doing it out of a pure desire to help without asking for anything in return, simply because you have been on the receiving side before and you somehow have faith that the person that you have touched, is going to continue touching others, lighting one heart after another.
Remember, what goes around comes around. We reap what we sow.
Others compare this formula with pyramid selling or multi level marketing. Although the multiplying effect is similar, Pay it Forward is not similar in intent to pyramid or multi levelmarketing. There is no intention to benefit when one pays it forward.
Three cheers for Pay It Forward and three cheers for the movie Pay It Forward.
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Movie Review: A must-see! Watch, Think, Discuss, ACT
Summary: 5 Stars
I consider "Pay it Forward" to be a must-see movie for adults and teens. As pointed out by many reviewers, it's brilliantly acted by Kevin Spacey (Mr. Simonet - cranky social studies teacher with personal issues and a heart of gold), Helen Hunt - (Alcoholic single mom with two jobs struggling to support her 7th-grader son, Trevor), Haley Joel Osment - (7th grader who comes up with the "Pay it Forward" idea to improve the world, one favor at a time and works hard to impliment it), and the supporting cast including Angie Dickenson, Jon Bon Jovi, and James Caviezel.
But the movie has far more than mere entertainment value. Unlike most other movies, it doesn't just entertain, but makes you think. And more importantly, has gone beyond that and inspired people to take action to begin doing everything from random acts of kindness to major "Pay it Forward" life saving/life changing favors for others.
The plot has been well summarized in other reviews, so I won't repeat that here. Some reviewers are troubled by the bleakness portrayed which includes alcoholism, drug addiction, bullying, violence, and homelessness. My take on this is, that rather than taking place in the idyllic setting of a Walgreen's Christmas commercial, the movie portrays the far less than perfect real world. Indeed Trevor's "Pay it Forward" idea came straight out of his troubled life in the lower middle class and while it seemed to quickly peter out, mushroomed to people in all walks of life from the homeless to the ultra wealthy. Unlike the year 2000 when the movie took place, today's world is on the brink of another Great Depression. While your life might not include addiction and violence, in today's world it's even more important to help others.
Others are unhappy about a disturbing plot twist and believe it detracts from the movie. IMO, this actually add to the movie, but arguing that point would require me posting some spoilers. Let's just say that in the real world, one must be discerning of how one helps others. Sometimes one may have to call 911 rather than personally intervene. Do what you can to help others as you never know how much time you've got.
Another reviewer doesn't like that the plot jumps around a bit. I enjoyed watching seemingly unrelated "Pay It Forward" favors, but without knowing how the characters tied together until later. It made the movie into more of an entertaining mystery, and placed the emphasis where it should be--on the helping other people, rather than the chronology of where each person was in the helping chain.
The bottom line is, this is a must see/must discuss movie for everyone teenage and older. I hope it inspires many to action. The world could certainly use it.