Pay It Forward
Main Cast:
Director: Mimi Leder
Rating: 4 Stars - recommended.
Plot Summary: Unconventional teacher Mr. Simonet takes up a new post, in a Las Vegas school, teaching the 7th grade. Mr Simonet has severe burn scars on his face and body. He lives a life of familiarity and strict routine that helps him cope with the physical and mental scars that he carries. At the start of each new school year he gives the class an assignment "Think of an idea to change the world - and put it into action". One boy, Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with an unique idea that surprises Mr. Simonet. Trevor's father has left home and he lives with his struggling alcoholic mother Arlene (Helen Hunt). A seed of hope has been planted in Trevor's head that maybe he can improve the world a little. His idea is that he will do something to help three people. "It has to be something big, something hard, something they can't do for themselves". Each of these three people then "Pays It Forward". That is, they do something to help three other people and so on...
Review: The film is best described as a sentimental thoughtful human-interest drama. It has a familiar theme but an excellent original story. The story is cleverly told by jumping occasionally to the future and back again. This helps to keep the interest level high. The film has been criticised for being over-sentimental and to a certain extent the criticism is justified but the idea that in someway we can help improve the world we live in is very appealing! The message that we can go out and help someone and make the world a better place is idealistic but isn't it a nice idea?
Mr. Simonet with his old-fashioned glasses, crumpled suit and mismatched shoes is a very credible character. Kevin Spacey played the part perfectly. The only flaw was the big 4x4 Jeep that he drove. Mr. Simonet should have had a ten-year-old station wagon!
Helen Hunt played Arlene, the abandoned, struggling, alcoholic, mother, perfectly also. She has been criticised for trying to play the Erin Brockovich character but in her defence this is the type of character that Arlene is.
Haley Joel Osment got a lot of attention after his part in The Sixth Sense and he has put in another great performance here.
Lasting thought from this film: Maybe it is possible to change the world in some small way if we aren't too "chicken" to try.
Reviewed by Niall Quinn, PremierMovieReviews