 | |
List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 1128
Released: May 15, 2001 |
| Our Price: $5.99 |
| Used Price: $3.75 |
|
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Inspired by an assignment from his teacher, a young boy attempts to make the world a better place by doing good deeds for three strangers, paying them \""forward\"" instead of paying someone back.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 3-FEB-2004
Media Type: DVD
Description of Pay It Forward:
Pay It Forward is a multi-level marketing scheme of the heart. Beginning as a seventh-grade class assignment to put into action an idea that could change the world, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. If successful, the resulting network of do-gooders ought to comprise the entire world. Trevor's attempts to get the ball rolling include befriending a junkie (James Caviezel) and trying to set up his recovering-alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) with his burn-victim teacher (Kevin Spacey), who posed the assignment.
While this could have turned into unmitigated schmaltz, the acting elevates this film to mitigated schmaltz. By turns powerful and measured, the performances of Spacey, Hunt, and Osment can't make up for the many missteps in a screenplay that sanitizes the look of the lower-middle class and expects us to believe that homeless alcoholics and junkies speak in the elevated manner of grad students. (Can that really be Angie Dickinson as Hunt's dispossessed mother? Yes, it is!) The germ of the story is a good one, though, and one may wonder how it would have been handled by the likes of Frank Capra, who could balance sentiment with humor. But clearly Capra would never have let the ending of his version to take the nosedive into cliché and pathos that director Mimi Leder has allowed in this film. More than a few viewers will also recognize that Leder has blatantly borrowed her final image from Field of Dreams, where its intended effect was more keenly and honestly felt. --Jim Gay
Pay It Forward Reviews:
Pay It Forward 
2008-10-07 - This is a fantastic movie. My Granddaughter just loves it and that is
why I bought it. It is a Christmas Present for her.
If you could get past the swearing the concept is wonderful. 
2008-09-27 - If you could get past the swearing and the constant taking the Lord's name in vain the concept of Paying It Forward is wonderful. We do practice that in our home and Family. Every American citizen Paying It Forward would change the face/course of this Great Nation of ours. This is NOT a Family friendly movie at all because of the language and two bad scenes ... one in the beginning with dancers on poles in a bar setting and a bedroom scene. Shame on Amazon for billing this as a Family movie.
Pay it, it's worth every dime... 
2008-09-09 - This is one of my absolute favourite movies! The story of how a young boy tries to change the world and make it a better place. Besides being a great movie, this story really has a message and it had a great impact on me. Buy this movie and it will grip your heart...
Pay It Forward DVD 
2008-09-08 - Great movie, loved it!!! Maybe we should all try this pay it forward the world would be a much better place...I would advise you to get out some tissues while watching this movie!!! It arrived on time and in perfect condition.
If Only!!! 
2008-08-02 - This is one of the best movies and picniples of all time. If only 10% of people in the world followed it the impact would be incredible. Granparents,Parents Chidren anyone but several copies and send them on to others.