Pay It Forward" (2000)
Drama & Romance
Starring: Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osmont
1 hr. 55 min.
Rated: PG-13 for mature elements: substance
abuse/recovery, some sexual situations, language and
brief violence.
Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest
Difference...
Based on a best-selling novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde,
and boasting the star-power of three prior Oscar
winners--Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel
Osmont--PAY IT FORWARD spins a heartwarming yarn about
an eleven-year-old boy who comes up with an utopian
idea as a project for school. History teacher Eugene
Simenot (Spacey) offers the same ongoing extra-credit
assignment he has proffered every year: Come up with
an idea that will change the world. However, he
expects nothing more from his students than
half-hearted efforts that fall far shy of their mark.
Simenot is therefore unprepared for precocious,
irrepressible Trevor McKinney (played with wide-eyed
wonder by Osmont), who conjures up a stunning scheme.
Trevor suggests the concept that every person who
benefits from someone else's good deed should "pay it
forward," instead of paying it back, and in turn offer
favors to three other people. The first guinea pig for
Trevor's experiment is his overworked, imperfect mom
(Helen Hunt) for whom he tries to find a boyfriend.
Director Mimi Leder, best known for powerful thrillers
like DEEP IMPACT, imbues the solid script of PAY IT
FORWARD with a more grandiose aura. However, it is the
movie's triumvirate of heralded stars--Spacey, Hunt
and Osmont--who propel this compelling yarn.
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!!!
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