Pay it Forward

I went into this movie really unsure what to make of it. On the one hand it had a stellar cast, with Oscar winners Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey and Oscar nominee Haley Joel Osment. On the other hand the plot reeked of schmaltz. I could see this getting overly sappy and sentimental in no time flat. Despite my reservations I found that the movie went and made me like it anyway.

The story revolves around a third grade boy, Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) whose social studies teacher Mr. Simonet (Kevin Spacey) challenges the class to come up with an idea to change the world in some way. Trevor comes up with the concept of "pay it forward" where a person does really big acts of good will to three other people. Rather than having them pay the generosity back they pay it forward to three other people each. Theoretically the goodwill just balloons from there.

Trevor starts by helping a homeless man get some food, money and a job. He then tries to set his mother Arlene (Helen Hunt) up with Simonet, hoping he would help her stabilize her life. Finally he wants to help one of his young friends not get beat up all the time.

I think what helped the movie avoid shameless pulling on the heartstrings was that the "pay it forward" idea was used only to move the story along instead of the focus. The movie is really about three people with fairly large emotional baggage helping each other past their problems. Trevor's mom is a drunk. She is trying desperately to stay sober under intense pressure from her son. Trevor himself endlessly worries about his mother and the possible return of his abusive father. Simonet carries horrible scars across his face and refuses to speak of them. He is obviously burying a world of hurt under a fastidiously tidy routine. He and Arlene share an obvious attraction but he simply can't allow himself to get close.

The story follows an unusual timeline. It bounces back and forth in time from the beginnings of the "pay it forward" idea to several months later when it is starting to expand outside of the main characters. Attempting to trace it back is a reporter played by Jay Mohr. Mohr generally irritates me but here turns in a solid performance.

In fact, performances are across the board solid. Kevin Spacey is good as always and gets a couple scenes to really show off. Helen Hunt continues to impress me. Haley Joel Osment is simply too talented for such a young actor. It's almost scary.

It amazes me just how bad most of the cast was willing to look for this movie. As mentioned Spacey's character has massive scars. Helen Hunt looks just plain awful with bad hair and makeup. Jim Caviezel is a mess as homeless man and Angie Dickinson is nearly unrecognizable as homeless woman. Add on to that the bleak desert area where most of them live and it is all strangely contrasted with the bright lights of Las Vegas where the movie largely takes place.

The ending (which I won't reveal) will likely be the biggest point of contention for most people. I heard people in the audience grumbling about it afterwards. It's religious parallels and Field of Dreams visual style is either going to strike people as heartwarming or over the top. None the less, visuals aside, I don't see how it could have ended otherwise and still remained true to its central theme.

Complaints with the movie are minor. Trevor's father was hustled in and out of the story far too quickly for much emotional impact. There is the occasional minor lapse in logic. But in general the movie is solidly constructed and performed. Certainly some people are going to find it overly sentimental. However I think the concept of "pay it forward" is a little hard to accept for many. The reason may be that not everyone is comfortable with how they might react to being the beneficiary of one of these acts of kindness.

- John Shea