A Review of The Film Pay It Forward

Pay it forward is a film adaptation of a book with the same title written by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It is a drama and romance film directed by Mimi Leder starring Kevin Spacey as Eugene Simonet, Helen Hunt as Arlene McKinney, Haley Joel Osment as Trevor Mckinney and Jay Mohr as Chris Chandler. The film takes place in Las Vegas. I would give this film a 4.5/5 rating because the ending broke my heart.

Pay it forward is a movement by a seventh-grade student in his social studies class given by their teacher as a project that they must think an idea that will change the world and put it into action. Trevor McKinney is the student who invented this movement and his teacher was Sir Eugene Simonet. Trevor has a mother that is an alcoholic and Trevor wants his mother to change. At the beginning of the movie, you will encounter a reporter which is Chris Chandler and his car was hit by someone who commits a crime with his getaway car. An old man with his dog offered a jaguar car in exchange for the wrecked car and Chris Chandler was very confused and the old man said that he just pay it forward. The reporter starts to investigate the movement. Trevor McKinney started his movement by helping a homeless man and he explained how the movement flows to the homeless man until Trevor McKinney thought that he failed on his first attempt then he didn’t stop trying and his next target is Sir Eugene Simonet and his plan was to let him date his mom and eventually his plan succeeded until his abusive father came back and his mother chose his father because his father promised that he changed but it was just a scam and the relationship between Eugene and Arlene went off. As the investigation was in run Chris Chandler is close to the mastermind of the movement, he interviewed people that did the movement and he always ask that who did that to you until Chris Chandler arrived on its destination which is to find the mastermind of this movement which is Trevor McKinney, because his movement reached Los Angeles. Until Arlene and Eugene decided to take their feelings seriously.

For me, I enjoyed the movie, my emotion was like riding a roller coaster, you will feel excited, sad, happy, etc. The movie was well developed and written, the actors are very good. As well as the plot of the movie and the idea of Trevor, it hits me hard that a seventh-grade student comes up with this idea. I just don’t like the ending and I think that it is not necessary for the movie but the movie turns out great with its ending, I just think that it will be better if they come up with an alternative ending. I suggest everyone watch this movie because it tackles major issues in our life that everyone can relate, and it changed my perspective in life that we must help people that need help and give the best that you can do in helping someone. We must give help not just because we have this thinking that if we help someone, somebody will also help us like you’re just doing this because eventually, you will receive, we must help because we want it and it’s from our heart. It’s better to give than to receive. And based on a study, we people are more satisfied when we give to others than we treat ourselves. If you’re planning to watch this movie you need a bunch of tissues, be ready for the plot twists and also prepare snacks. Enjoy. 

Works Cited

1. Hyde, C. R. (2000). Pay it forward. Simon & Schuster.
2. Leder, M. (Director). (2000). Pay it forward [Film]. Warner Bros.
3. Ebert, R. (2000, October 20). Pay it forward. RogerEbert.com. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pay-it-forward-2000
4. Holden, S. (2000, October 20). A seventh-grader's big idea: Can it save a troubled world? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/20/movies/a-seventh-grader-s-big-idea-can-it-save-a-troubled-world.html
5. Pay it forward (2000). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/
6. Scott, A. O. (2000, October 20). An improbable tale about changing the world. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/20/movies/an-improbable-tale-about-changing-the-world.html
7. Roeper, R. (2000, October 20). Pay it forward. Ebert & Roeper. http://www.ebertandroeper.com/movies/movies3/payitforward/reviews.htm
8. Foundas, S. (2000, October 20). Pay it forward. Variety. https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/pay-it-forward-1200462532/
9. Puig, C. (2000, October 20). 'Pay It Forward' more moving than manipulative. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2000-10-20-pay-it-forward.htm
10. Travers, P. (2000, October 23). Pay it forward. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/pay-it-forward-120302/