The
film industry has been blamed for a lot of societies problems. For those who prescribe
to this monkey see, monkey do opinion, the new film Pay it Forward is a good argument
to the contrary.
Certainly
one of the most noble stories to come out of Hollywood in sometime, Pay it Forward
is the story of a young boy (beautifully played by Sixth Sense star Haley Joel
Osment) who sets out to make the world a better place. Responding to a challenging
assignment from his teacher (the always dependable Kevin Spacey), Osment devises
the Pay it Forward plan. It's quite simple. One person does three good deeds for
three different people, and rather than paying the favor back, those three recipients
pay the favors forward. The film poses the question, could a plan such as this
catch on and spread good will throughout the world?
Pay
it Forward has a big heart and it wears it visibly on it's sleeve. For much of
the film, director Mimi Leder (Peacemaker, Deep Impact) and screenwriter Leslie
Dixon had me sucked in to this magical film. However, there are many moments in
this whimsical drama that are very heavy-handed--and the ending of the film is
steeped in cheap sentimentality. Leder shoots shamelessly for the tear ducts and
caps it off with an embarrassing ending that is lifted right out of Field of Dreams.
It worked in the Costner classic--but not in Pay it Forward.
All
this aside, you can overlook most of the film's flaws because of the impeccible
performances by the three leads. Kevin Spacey gives an inspirational and heartbreaking
turn as a passionate school teacher with physical and emotional scars (which lead
to one of the film's most obvious plot points). He is so good in this film, that
he even takes the old film clich (the nervous man asking a woman out on a date)
to an entirely new level. Helen Hunt is also terrific as a single mother battling
alcoholism and coping with loneliness. Young Osment shows that The Sixth Sense
was no fluke. This kid has acting chops, and shows an intelligent and insightful
look at today's youth. This is one of the strongest portraits of adolescence since
Searching For Bobby Fisher.
Screenwriter
Dixon has come up with an interesting idea here, but never really exploits it
to it's full potential. There is a running storyline dealing with a reporter (played
by Jay Mohr) doing a story on the Pay it Forward plan that just isn't that interesting.
I also could have done without Jon Bon Jovi as Hunt's ex-husband. He seemed stiff
and very unnecessary. Dixon does, however, manage to throw in a couple of surprises
which I will not reveal in this review.
Pay
it Forward is one of the most optimistic films to come out of Hollywood in a while.
It shows us humans in a flattering light, and deftly displays that there is, in
fact, hope and kindness in this world. It also features some of the best acting
of the year. Although Leder and Dixon would have benefited from a little more
restraint, Pay if Forward is a moving experience with an idea that ultimately
is slightly better than the end result.
