Kindness
is an undervalued commodity in today’s
world, at least that’s what society is
telling us, so what better way to remedy
this societal belief wrought in cynicism
than with a school project. Well, that’s
the thought of Trevor McKinney (Osment_
an idealistic schoolboy who hopes his
scheme of "paying It forward"
will sweep the nation quicker than a Tickle-Me-Elmo-Furby
hybrid.
The
story is traced around the country by
reporter Chris Chandler (Mohr), hoping
to discover his first Dateline/Newsweek/Time
cover story. He’s mysteriously given a
Jaguar by a high-flying executive, and
when the man asks for nothing in return
but for the Pay It Forward system to carry
on, Chandler becomes curious and determined
to find the origin of the societal marvel.
The
scheme begins when Trevor decides to help
out three people with monumental acts
of kindness. These three are: a homeless
man, his mother, and his schoolteacher
(the inventor of the assignment). The
boy struggles with the harsh realities
of the world, as his acts of kindness
seem to result in dead ends. After helping
out a homeless man (Caviezel) Trevor discovers
the vagrant has gone back to his substance
abusing ways, and after setting up his
mother (Hunt) with his teacher (Spacey),
he realizes that love may not blossom.
Although
the plan seems to have stumbled before
making it out of the starting blocks,
Trevor’s ideals begin seeping into the
consciousness of those around him. The
realization of seizing the day and doing
things for others is beautifully played
out in the relationship between Simonet,
the teacher, (who resembles Mel Gibson
in THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE both in appearance
and in actions) and Arlene, Trevor’s abused
mother. The two dance around each other
in a series of socially awkward, emotionally
stunted dates, and soon begin to open
themselves to the kindness they may find
in each other’s arms.
PAY
IT FORWARD is an emotionally draining
movie. Every line is made to reduce the
audience to a blubbering mess, and it
does so in a wonderfully cathartic manner.
However, once out of the movie-going element,
cynicism begins to creep in, and the hokeyness
factor may also rear its ugly head. The
Hollywood nature of any mass-produced
movie such as PAY IT FORWARD seems to
taint the truly honorable intentions of
its message, and with that, one could
leave the movie with a sense of emotional
manipulation.
Osment
is as always wonderful as the self-aware
young boy, and Academy Award™ winners
Hunt and Spacey delve into a sea of emotions
during the course of the movie. The acting
is superb, and combined with this morally
uplifting concept, PAY IT FORWARD is definitely
worthy of Oscar™ buzz. The only
dark cloud in the movie is the appearance
of Jon Bon Jovi as Trevor’s abusive father,
who has deservedly not earned any credibility
as an actor. Every time he appears on
the screen it’s hard to hold back from
thinking about a spontaneous verse of
"Living on A Prayer" coming
from his mouth.
PAY
IT FORWARD is cinematic hot chocolate.
It makes you feel warm inside, and for
a while, you’re immune to the harshness
of the outside world — well at least until
you step out of the theater.
—
Priti Ubhayakar
