Review: Pay It Forward (major spoiler alert)
December 9th 2008 20:08
We picked up Pay It Forward on DVD the other day because, ever since this past summer’s flooding, we’ve been woefully short on movies to watch at home when the mood strikes. This was one of those movies for which we’d seen the previews, uttered the usual “That looks good, we should go see that,” and then never made the effort.
So on Saturday night we decided to try this 2000 story about a middle-schooler who tackles his social studies teacher’s year-long extra credit assignment - to change the world for the better - by doing large-scale good deeds for three random people, and inviting them each to "pay it forward" with good deeds for others.
I liked the dual structure of the movie immediately – we’re simultaneously following news reporter Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr) as he traces back the origins of the Pay It Forward movement (having benefitted personally from it), and following the movement forward from its roots through a trio of multi-dimensional lead characters: burn-scarred teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey), alcohol-addicted mom Arlene McKinney (Helen Hunt), and quiet optimist Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment).
What was apparent early on was that there would be nothing formulaic about the primary performances – they were brilliant. I ached for Eugene and Arlene as they faced their demons, and I marveled at the sheer force of Trevor’s determination to succeed at his assignment.
Still, as the film progressed, I began to wonder exactly how a traditional ending could be turned so that the entire film would live up to the promise of the performances. Certainly, even with remarkable acting, the struggling-single-mom storyline had the potential for mediocrity. So did the parallel-running “acts of kindness” theme. When the ending actually hit, I was stunned and angry – I hate movies where the good guy dies. But I also quickly realized that this was precisely what the film needed to keep it from being formulaic. It left in its wake lingering questions about what might happen to the surviving relationship, how the school would be affected, and what would happen to the Pay It Forward “movement.”
Although I’ve read criticism elsewhere about the “heavy-handed” staging of the final scene, I felt it was appropriately emotional and beautifully shot. Every film, it seems to me, should seek to leave the viewer lying awake, hours later in bed, envisioning its final shot and wondering about the fate of its characters.
So on Saturday night we decided to try this 2000 story about a middle-schooler who tackles his social studies teacher’s year-long extra credit assignment - to change the world for the better - by doing large-scale good deeds for three random people, and inviting them each to "pay it forward" with good deeds for others.
I liked the dual structure of the movie immediately – we’re simultaneously following news reporter Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr) as he traces back the origins of the Pay It Forward movement (having benefitted personally from it), and following the movement forward from its roots through a trio of multi-dimensional lead characters: burn-scarred teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey), alcohol-addicted mom Arlene McKinney (Helen Hunt), and quiet optimist Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment).
What was apparent early on was that there would be nothing formulaic about the primary performances – they were brilliant. I ached for Eugene and Arlene as they faced their demons, and I marveled at the sheer force of Trevor’s determination to succeed at his assignment.
Still, as the film progressed, I began to wonder exactly how a traditional ending could be turned so that the entire film would live up to the promise of the performances. Certainly, even with remarkable acting, the struggling-single-mom storyline had the potential for mediocrity. So did the parallel-running “acts of kindness” theme. When the ending actually hit, I was stunned and angry – I hate movies where the good guy dies. But I also quickly realized that this was precisely what the film needed to keep it from being formulaic. It left in its wake lingering questions about what might happen to the surviving relationship, how the school would be affected, and what would happen to the Pay It Forward “movement.”
Although I’ve read criticism elsewhere about the “heavy-handed” staging of the final scene, I felt it was appropriately emotional and beautifully shot. Every film, it seems to me, should seek to leave the viewer lying awake, hours later in bed, envisioning its final shot and wondering about the fate of its characters.
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