Pay It Forward

Rating:
Summary: Take it as it is, and let it happen as you watch it
Review: I dont think there are too many ways you could have made this film...people would all be affected by this film and feel it was corny no matter who made it or who directed it. The premise is heavy...and we could never expect people to fit into molds, but in a perfect world, we do have to expect people paying it forward from time to time. So it may seem corny to some, but you cannot deny it, it is heavy and the ending made it heavier....yes, it provoked emotion, so let it happen, and let it into your heart...if it moves you, makes you laugh or makes you cry, the movie did its job....4 stars

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie with a great plot
Review: I loved Pay it Forward it was a great movie with excellent acting and a feel good story. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is simply this the movie is definitley able to keep my attention for most of the time. But there are a few parts in the movie that just become quite dull and dont really seem to have too big of an importance on the overall effect on the movie. Once again I think it's a good movie but just some parts are a little hard to get through. I think anyone who wants a nice feel good movie with a great meaning and a surprise sad ending should rent or buy this movie.

Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Masterpiece.
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: a great FICTIONAL story with a strong messege
Review: The movie is a very thoughtful story of good doings and faith in humanity. It is likely that this isn't the first review you've read about the movie so i'm going to hold back on the actual storyline as many of you already even know how the movie is going to end thanks to the reviewers who believe that just because they didn't like the movie, you shouldn't either. I've read many bad reviews so far bashing the movie for "Stealing" ideas from other movies or stories. Some reviews mention the likeness in the ending of the Field of Dreams movie. Perhaps there is some likeness but let's face it, how many original ideas are there. The Lion King, for example, is almost the exact same story as Billy Shakespeare's Hamlet. Anyone ever watch Star Wars? I'm talking about the real ones now. Much of the story of Star Wars greatly resembled Thomas Malory's Le Morte D' Arthur (King Arthur). What I'm saying is that a truly original idea for a movie doesn't happen often. Some people also disliked the movie because they found it unbelievable. Let me also point out that this is a fictional story. To watch it and really take something away from it you really need to just suspend disbelief. This truly is an inspiring movie. The ending was questionable but I'll let you decide what you think of it before I give my opinion. Watch this one with a clear and open mind. Don't be dissuaded by bad reviews but instead figure this one out on your own.

Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to like it more
Review: Kevin Spacey is a new social studies teacher who gives his seventh-grade class the project of coming up with an idea that might change the world, and trying to implement it. Student Haley Joel Osment takes it to heart, and proposes the "pay it forward" idea, wherein everyone helps three people, and asks those who are helped to each help three others. Osment's mother, Helen Hunt, is a recovering alcoholic, and Osment decides it would be a good deed to match her up with his much-admired teacher.


That is the premise of a great movie. The real result was a pretty good movie that meandered, seemed implausible at times, mastered the art of self-entanglement, and shined with derivativeness. Too many subplots, too many street people talking wise philosophy, and way, way too many similarities to other films, as in DEAD POET SOCIETY (Spacey-Osment relationship), MASK (son trying to reform wayward mother, good-hearted but incompetent mother), THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE (Spacey-Osment relationship again, son trying to straighten out wayward mother again, good-hearted but inept mother again), AS GOOD AS IT GETS (flawed but good woman falls in love with flawed but good man). Of course, these themes are seen in many films, but the similarities seem more than conceptual or thematic. The Spacey-Hunt relationship is extremely reminiscent of the Nicholson-Hunt relationship in AS GOOD AS IT GETS.


So, why did I give the film three stars? Despite all of my gripes, I also feel that Spacey, Osment, and Hunt did their jobs very well. And, when the film periodically meandered back to the "pay it forward" concept, it was very good.

Rating:
Summary: UN FILM GENIAL ET EMOUVANT
Review: J'ai été très touché par le personnage de "Trévor" interprété par l'époustouflant Haley Joel Osment. Les autres acteurs sont tout aussi magnifiques. Un drame boulversant!

In France, "Un monde meilleur".

Rating:
Summary: Amongst my favorites
Review: I saw this recently, and loved it. It genuinely touched me, and I am going to order a copy for a library I help out.

Rating:
Summary: We Have a Winner!!
Review: The category is "Most Manipulative Movie Ever," and the film is . . .

"Pay It Forward." WHOOO HOOOOOO!! Let's give a hand, folks!

You know the plot or you wouldn't be reading, so I'll dispense with the rehash. The wife and I watched the last hour or so on one of the networks the other night, and that was one of the only times I've wanted to hurl things at my own TV. I might be cyincal, but some "message" movies still get to me ("Good Will Hunting," "Dead Poets Society," for ex). This one was actually a predictable but well-acted melodrama with good intentions until the end, but it's last scenes were so dishonest and cheap, I just got angrier and angrier. ROOAARRGGGHHH!! MUST . . DESTROY . . BRAINDEAD SCREENWRITER . .

I doubt that's what Mimi was shooting for, but then again I'm not the target audience. My dad would dig this, oh boy would he dig this. Slap the "family" label on it and cue up the sappy music at the end, and he's Niagara Falls. All I could think about as the credits rolled was how it would have been no less exploitative if Kevin Spacy had gone all Keyser Soze/John Doe and slaughtered everyone. Now THAT would've been a plot twist.

You could also see the Mimi's thought process lurching along the entire way:

"OK, we've got our well-meaning kid and his well-meaning mom and his well-meaning teacher, all scarred by life. We've got them almost getting together several times but due to misunderstandings and aforementioned life-scars, they don't. We've got the dark secret revealed about one character. Whew, glad that's off his chest. Then, YEAHH, they finally do get together. But wait . . we haven't had any crying by the audience yet . . Hmmmm . . A-HA! We'll just kill the kid! Let's see, a disease takes too long, I'm saving the terrorist attack for my next movie . . A-HA! Another kid -- make him ethnic for added effect -- stabs him and he dies! But can't leave the audience feeling sad . . A-HA! A crowd brings candles and flowers to the grieving mom's house and everyone realizes that it was worth him being skewered, and it brings all this extra . . what's that word? Oh yeah, "poignancy" to the message! EUREKA!! GET MY ASSISTANT ON THE PHONE TO START DRAFTING MY OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH!!"

Now I'm all riled up. Thanks a lot. And Trevor's still dead.