"Pay it Forward", the concept, is a brilliant idea. For skeptics not taken aback by it, consider that the plan takes into account the (highly likely) chance that 2 out of 3 people on this planet are scum. In fact, this is conveyed in the story, when Trevor gets frustrated doing good things for not-so-good people. The movie pits geometric growth against sustainable success rate. I liked that.
No less brilliant are the performances of Hunt, Spacey and Osment. Actually, if not for them, I might have gagged quite early into the film. The three took on a gargantuan challenge and somehow turned a sickeningly hyperbolic (read: CHEESY) script into an enjoyable, touching experience. ANY other trio in showbiz (in 2000), and this movie would be sentenced to 1001 nights of MST3k-style ridicule. It's pretty evident the film suffered from a lack of plot; it's really not much more than a great idea with a movie (complete with love triangle) built around it.
That said, I did like the movie, but I do know the difference between my taste and good quality. If you appreciate great acting and want a change from the steady diet of force-fed, cookie-cutter action flicks like "Pearl Harbor" (the Bruckheimer version), this movie will be enjoyable and refreshing. But aside from smatterings of awesome dialogue, the "PiF" concept and brilliant acting, and as much as I liked it, this movie is pretty bad. (Again, bad plot. You know, the core of a movie?)
In a nutshell: If "Pay it Forward" won't move you in real life, it probably won't on the screen, either.
No less brilliant are the performances of Hunt, Spacey and Osment. Actually, if not for them, I might have gagged quite early into the film. The three took on a gargantuan challenge and somehow turned a sickeningly hyperbolic (read: CHEESY) script into an enjoyable, touching experience. ANY other trio in showbiz (in 2000), and this movie would be sentenced to 1001 nights of MST3k-style ridicule. It's pretty evident the film suffered from a lack of plot; it's really not much more than a great idea with a movie (complete with love triangle) built around it.
That said, I did like the movie, but I do know the difference between my taste and good quality. If you appreciate great acting and want a change from the steady diet of force-fed, cookie-cutter action flicks like "Pearl Harbor" (the Bruckheimer version), this movie will be enjoyable and refreshing. But aside from smatterings of awesome dialogue, the "PiF" concept and brilliant acting, and as much as I liked it, this movie is pretty bad. (Again, bad plot. You know, the core of a movie?)
In a nutshell: If "Pay it Forward" won't move you in real life, it probably won't on the screen, either.