X
- 2000
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 3 m
- 2000
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 3 m
Summary Eugene Simonet (Spacey) is a social studies teacher who teaches his class that it is possible for one person to change the world. When one student (Osment) really listens and believes, the ripples begin to be felt by others in his life and the idea starts to spread across the nation.
Directed By: Mimi Leder
Written By: Catherine Ryan Hyde, Leslie Dixon
- 2000
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 3 m
- 2000
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 3 m
Pay It Forward
40
8.1
Where to Watch
Summary Eugene Simonet (Spacey) is a social studies teacher who teaches his class that it is possible for one person to change the world. When one student (Osment) really listens and believes, the ripples begin to be felt by others in his life and the idea starts to spread across the nation.
Directed By: Mimi Leder
Written By: Catherine Ryan Hyde, Leslie Dixon
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
40
29% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
47% Mixed
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
24% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
40
29% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
47% Mixed
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
24% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
Another gutsy, big-budget movie that dares to say something new and optimistic about our messed-up times. And it almost, but not quite, brings it off.
Works unexpectedly well for its first three quarters.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 161 User Ratings
8.1
77% Positive
124 Ratings
124 Ratings
14% Mixed
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
9% Negative
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 161 User Ratings
8.1
77% Positive
124 Ratings
124 Ratings
14% Mixed
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
9% Negative
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
I thought that this was a really well done movie. The characters of both Trevor and Eugene were performed particularly well, I felt quite sorry for Eugene in parts and the fascination of wondering what lay in his past and to find out how or if the whole concept of paying it forward could work really kept me interested in watching this right through to the end. I can't say that the movie entirely answers everything, in that once its finished your left wondering, if this wasn't a fictional movie, could such a concept really work? is it worth a shot? in theory, its a pretty neat idea and sounds feasible. Of course, cynics would laugh this off, many people wouldn't believe that others would pay it forward, they'd find it hard to believe that some people wouldn't just take the free car or whatever it is and not bother to help anyone else out in return but I'm fairly sure there are at least some people who would try to re-pay the favour in that way. It makes you wonder, if we were all open and willing to give it a try, what would happen and could the world be made a better place. So in that sense, it is kind of touchy feel-y. I like that the movie is quite realistic in that it shows Trevor coming from troubled parents and shows his side of things, its believeable that he would do what he does to try and help his family and you do feel sorry for the poor guy, trying to get a father figure and to help out both his teacher and his mum at the same time.
I must warn you, though, the ending has a twist, one that you probably won't see coming. I don't want to give it away but it is quite shocking. Thats another thing that I suppose did impress me about it too; it wasn't as predictable as such a movie probably could have been.
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Winds up making a very good case for never going out of your way to help anybody.
Too high-minded to stoop as low as it does, particularly in its unforgivably manipulative ending.
It's so enamored of its own upbeat view of human nature that it expects you to overlook its stick-figure characters, its creaky plot machinery and its remorseless assault on your tear ducts.
As rigged as a casino slot machine, preying on people's hopes but paying off only for the house.
An overflowing septic tank of chicken-soupy sanctimony that proceeds from casually offensive hypocrisy to wretchedly inapt religiosity.
An incredible film which brings an original characteristic to the table, giving the audience a point of view that had not yet been recognized. Though leaving you in tears at the end, it shows the importance of how much one step in society can make a difference and even though we think we don't make a difference with the choices we make and we may not ever know the impact of those choices, the effect of them can still make a huge impact.
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After seeing this movie, all I had to say was "Meh". This movie's biggest fault is its repetitive nature. The plot just loops over itself constantly, and when lots of moments are sad, they can feel a bit unnecessary. For an example, the teacher, Eugene, will randomly get upset with the mother, Arlene, over and over again, but by the time a couple scenes have gone by, it's all okay again! Also, when Arlene slaps Trevor, at first it seems really well done (even though the kid can be really annoying) but then, they throw it all out the window by making them make-up in what seems to be less than three minutes. And do you know what happens next? They never mention it again! It's never brought up again once in the remaining running time of this movie! Maybe it's referenced, and I just missed it, but I didn't see any callbacks to it. The over-all plot can be nice, but I feel they repeat certain aspects that don't need to be repeated, and things that should be repeated, or even brought up again, simply don't see the light of day again. The acting is great for the most part, but those supposed "Grade Sevens" DON'T ACT OR LOOK ANYTHING LIKE GRADE SEVENS! They sound more like grade threes, and no, that's no exaggeration. The way the movie jumps forward and backward in time can also feel a bit messy. The music in this movie isn't necessarily bad, but it's ****...much! That piano piece, let me tell you just how annoying it got after hearing it about twenty times. A good element though is that the movie's jokes can be funny. Lastly, the ending is so sad, but so rushed. Trevor gets stabbed by some bullies that he'd run away from earlier in the movie. This death is so underwhelming! They should've made it something bigger, like if he'd sacrificed himself for his mother, or his teacher. The way it is just seems anti-climactic. I don't know, maybe I'm just wrong, but I really don't like it. I feel like the plot repeats, the grade sevens DO NOT look like grade sevens, the music gets annoying, and the characters aren't very memorable. In fact, when I was watching it for the first time, no one could remember the names: "Arlene", "Eugene", and "Trevor". Instead, they said: "the Teacher", "the Mother", and "the Kid". Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, but I think Pay it Forward should either have been changed, or not have been payed to go forward.
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Play It Forward: Nice Idea – Poor Execution
Hollywood is on display here, sadly in all its shallow glory. This one starts off well but all too quickly dumbs itself down with a superficial veneer of emotional manipulation. Spacey and Hunt, while convincing, seem somewhat miss cast as a school teacher and single ’recovering’ alcoholic mum - with her son playing cupid in classic sitcom-style ‘seriousness’. While the movie-makers have good intentions in attempting to include some ‘worthy’ causes, they sadly end up not doing full justice to any of them. In an attempt to add ‘depth’ to the often labored, clichéd situations, it feels as if the producers have tacked on a tragic ending that stretches the running time beyond its welcome. Those looking for some sort of a message may find something pleasing or even inspiring, others may be left wading through the messy editing structure, and some heavy-handed plot devices. For a movie largely about kids, it’s not a particularly good one for them to see.
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Production Company
Warner Bros.,
Bel Air Entertainment,
Tapestry Films
Release Date Oct 20, 2000
Duration 2 h 3 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Tagline Three imperfect people. One perfect idea.
Website
http://www.payitforward.com/
Awards
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Nomination
