As you can tell from my title, I am quite torn over this movie. In this review I will probably touch on most everything that happens, including The Big Ending, so if you haven't seen the movie and don't want to be spoiled, PLEASE do not read any further.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

First of all, the premise. Pay it forward is an idea 11 year old Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with to fulfill a social studies assignment given by his teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) to "think of an idea to change our world, and put it into action." Trevor will do favors, big favors, for three people and ask nothing in return except that they do favors for three other people, and pass along the pay it forward idea when they do.

Pay it Forward actually begins in Los Angeles where reporter Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr) is given a brand new Jaguar by a complete stranger after his car is smashed during a police holdup. Chandler's interest is naturally piqued when the stranger tells him nothing more than to "pay it forward" when he demands an explanation.

We then jump back four months to when Trevor is first given the assignment. The story of how the pay it forward movement spread from Las Vegas, where Trevor lives with his mother Arlie (Helen Hunt), to Los Angeles unfolds in a series of leaps between present time and past.

Chandler, determined to learn what "pay it forward" means, finds the man who gave him the Jaguar and learns that he was granted a favor when a street thug with a stab wound insisted that his daughter receive emergency medical treatment for an asthma attack first, telling the father nothing more than "pay it forward." Chandler finds the thug in jail and begins to trace the pay it forward idea back to where it originated with Trevor.

Meanwhile we see Trevor putting his plan into action by helping a homeless heroin addict clean up (his appearance anyway) and find a job. Trevor is discouraged a few days later when he goes by to check on his new friend who is in a drugged stupor and refuses to answer the door.

Trevor next moves on to his teacher, Mr. Simonet. Mr. Simonet has horrible burn scars on his face, which are nothing compared to his emotional scars. Trevor gets the idea that Mr. Simonet and his mother Arlie, a recovering alcholic and self-described "trailer trash," would be a good match. He finds a way to get them together for dinner and is disappointed when the sparks don't immediately fly.

Trevor gets a third chance to do a big favor when he sees a classmate getting beat up by some junior thugs but is too scared to do anything other than watch.

Starting to lose faith in his idea, Trevor doesn't see the things going on in other areas - his mother confronting his grandmother about her drinking problem and homeless lifestyle; the grandmother in turn helping the street thug escape police during a theft attempt (still not sure why that was supposed to be a good idea); the heroin addict helping a suicidal woman off a bridge; Mr. Simonet and Arlie falling in love and trying to move past their huge social differences.

Chandler finally catches up with Trevor and Arlie on Trevor's birthday. He informs a very startled Arlie that the pay it forward idea was not a failure like Trevor thinks, instead is a "movement" which has reached as far as Los Angeles. Chandler wants to interview Trevor because he thinks it would make a great "feel good" story. Arlie and Trevor agree and the interview is set up for one day at the school.

The interview goes well, everything is wrapped up and Arlie and Mr. Simonet are in a clinch in the locker area when Trevor sees the junior thugs picking on his classmate again. This time he decides he's not going to back down and runs into one of them with his bicycle. Arlie and Mr. Simonet hear the commotion and start running down to break up the fight. Trevor is now having to take on both kids alone. Junior Thug #2 whips a knife out of his pocket and opens it just as Junior Thug #1 punches Trevor, who spins around falls right into the knife.

From that point on, the rest of the movie really doesn't matter. Trevor dies, the news airs his uplifting story along with the heartbreaking news of his death, all of his classmates and seemingly half of Las Vegas show up in his yard the night the story airs with candles and flowers, and a really hauntingly beautiful song plays while the credits roll.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

So, why did I love it? I really liked the "pay it forward" idea. It's believable, it's workable, it's simple and profound all at the same time. I liked Mr. Simonet's teaching style. He knew how to make the kids sit up and listen, and make them WANT to think and learn instead of watching the clock and dozing through class.

The actors were phenomenal. Helen Hunt portrays Arlie with just the right amount of Erin Brockovich style smart-assiness to keep Arlie from being a pathetic sob story you just can't quite make yourself like. Kevin Spacey as Mr. Simonet is undaunted and seemingly uncaring in all the right places, yet with just a flicker of a facial expression shows the regret of always assuming the worst where people and their motives are concerned, and realizing he is sometimes wrong. Haley Joel Osment has got to be the best young actor of our day. He brings life to the character Trevor who by necessity has to lead almost a dual role - hopeful kid who innocently believes he can change the world by trusting in the goodness of people, and world-weary victim of alcoholic, absent parents forced to grow up before his time.

Now, on to what I hated. The biggie - the ending. They could have stopped the whole movie short right after the interview and I would have turned the tv off with a smile on my face and a feeling in my heart that maybe the world isn't sh*t after all. Nope, instead they had to repay Trevor and his fabulous, hopeful, inspiring self by letting him get knifed in the schoolyard. And the worst part is, it served no plot purpose that I can see other than to make pretty darn sure everyone was crying when the credits rolled. Instead of wanting to start my own "pay it forward" movement, I feel like screaming why bother?!? The world really IS sh*t. Is THAT the message the movie was trying to send?

I would have liked to have seen more connections on the spread of the pay it forward movement. As far as the viewer knows, the chain moved directly from Trevor, to Mr. Simonet and Arlie, to Arlie's mom, to the street thug, to the man with the jaguar, to Chandler. The heroin addict was the only other real branch and he only helped Arlie (he fixed her truck) and one other person and his storyline fizzled after that. Hardly enough to qualify as a "movement" IMO. They should have added more connections and focused more on the chain of people and less on the romance between Arlie and Mr. Simonet. Some of the scenes between them seemed forced and out of place to me and didn't really seem to help move the story along.

All in all, this movie is worth seeing. It has stayed with me in a big way for the past three days, so that says something at least. It just could have been much, much better. I give it 3.5 stars, bumped up to 4 for the purpose of this review.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older