Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward is a 2000 American drama-romance film based on the novel of

the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The film is set in Las Vegas in the present
day, and it chronicles 12-year-old Trevor McKinney's launch of a goodwill movement
known as 'pay it forward'. Directed by Mimi Leder and written by Leslie Dixon, the
film stars Haley Joel Osment as Trevor, Helen Hunt as his alcoholic single mother
Arlene McKinney, and Kevin Spacey as his physically and emotionally scarred social
studies teacher Eugene Simonet.

Pay It Forward was released on October 20, 2000 to mixed reviews, with most critics
praising the acting, writing, music and cinematography but criticizing the story and
accusing it of excessive emotional manipulation, particularly in its ending. The film
was a moderate box office success, earning just over $55.7 million on a $40 million
budget.

When 12-year-old Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment)begins 7th grade in Las
Vegas, Nevada. He is a boy who is troubled by his mother's alcoholism and his
father's abuse and absence. His social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey)
gives the class an assignment to devise and put into action a plan that will change the
world for the better. Trevor's plan is a charitable program based on the networking of
good deeds. He starts the "Pay It Forward" movement. He initially believes that the
movement was not successful, and does not feel much pride towards it, stating that he
was acting to improve the world - not to receive recognition. He is stabbed and killed
while trying to pay it forward to his bullied friend, Adam . He calls his plan "pay it
forward", which means the recipient of a favor does a favor for three others rather than
paying the favor back. However, it needs to be a major favor that the recipient cannot
complete themselves. Eugene Simonet is Trevor's social studies teacher, and an
emotionally and physically scarred man. As a teenager, he suffered abuse from his
father (including lighting him on fire) and still has burns visible on his face and torso.
He begins the film as a shy recluse, self-conscious about his deformities, but
eventually he enters a relationship with Trevor's mother Arlene and overcomes his
fears. He sets an assignment to Trevor's class, asking them to change the world for the
better. He is significantly changed from the novel, where he was an African-American
man named Reuben St. Clair who had been injured in the Vietnam War.

Trevor does a favor for three people, asking each of them to "pay the favor
forward" by doing favors for three other people, and so on, along a branching tree of
good deeds. His first good deed is to let a homeless man named Jerry ( Jim Caviezel)
live in his garage, and Jerry pays the favor forward by doing car repairs for Trevor's
mother. Trevor's efforts appear to fail when Jerry relapses into drug addiction, but
Jerry pays his debt forward later by talking to a suicidal woman, who is about to jump
off a bridge.

Meanwhile, Trevor's mother Arlene (Helen Hunt)confronts Eugene about Trevor's

project after discovering Jerry in their house. Trevor then selects Eugene as his next
"pay it forward" target and tricks Eugene and Arlene into a romantic dinner date. This
also appears to fail until Trevor and Arlene argue about her love for Ricky, her
alcoholic ex-husband, and she slaps him in a fit of anger. The two adults are brought
together again when Trevor runs away from home and Arlene asks Eugene to help her
find him..

After finding Trevor, Arlene begins to pursue Eugene. Eugene has deep burn
marks visible on his neck and face, and he initially resists Arlene's overtures out of
insecurity. When they finally sleep together, he is seen to have extensive scarring all
over his torso. Arlene accepts Eugene's physical disfigurement and forms an emotional
bond with him, but quickly abandons their relationship when Ricky (Jon Bon Jovi)
returns to her, claiming to have given up drinking. Ricky's return and Arlene's
acceptance of it angers Eugene, whose own mother had a habit of taking his abusive,
alcoholic father back. When Arlene attempts to explain to Eugene that she believes
Ricky has changed for good, Eugene explains that his father intentionally burned him
 by knocking him unconscious, then pouring gasoline over him and igniting it. He
berates Arlene for being "one of those women" and warns her of Ricky's potential to
abuse Trevor. When Ricky drinks again and resumes his abusive behavior, Arlene
realizes her mistake and forces him to leave.

Trevor's school assignment marks the beginning of the story's chronology, but the opening
scene in the film shows one of the later favors in the "pay it forward" tree, in which a man
gives a car to Los Angeles journalist Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr). As the film proceeds, Chris
traces the chain of favors back to its origin as Trevor's school project. After her date with
Eugene, Arlene paid Jerry's favor forward by forgiving her own mother, Grace (Angie
Dickinson), for her mistakes in raising Arlene, and Grace, who is homeless, helps a gang
member escape from the police. The gang member then saves a girl's life in a hospital, and the
girl's father gives Chris his new car.
Chris finally identifies Trevor as the originator of "pay it forward" and conducts a
recorded interview in which Trevor describes his hopes and concerns for the project. Eugene,
hearing Trevor's words, realizes that he and Arlene should be together. As Eugene and Arlene
reconcile with an embrace, Trevor notices his friend Adam being bullied by gangster-like
children, as he has several times before. He pays it forward to Adam by rushing into the scene
and fighting the bullies while Eugene and Arlene rush to stop him. When one of the bullies
takes a switchblade out of his pocket, Trevor is stabbed in the abdomen and dies from his
injuries. The bullies run away and Trevor is taken to the hospital. This news is reported on
television as well as the fact that the movement is spreading across the country; Arlene and
Eugene are soon visited by hundreds of people who have participated in or heard of the "Pay
It Forward" movement by gathering in a vigil to pay Trevor their respects.
One good deed might not seem like much, but if everyone did something good for someone
else, then the cycle of generosity and kindness can spark us to become better people.
Do between one and three good deeds for others without asking for anything in return.
The difference we can make is phenomenal .
Heres some examples that might give some ideas for pay it forward:
. If it is raining, give your umbrella together with a card to someone who does not have one.
(it might be worth taking a spare one with you )
Visit an elderly neighbours house and ask them if they need to have anything they need
repaired.
Donate some money to your favourite charity perhaps collect some donation money from
people at work.
Tell the manager of a restaurant how great your waiter/waitress was. This can happen in any
store / business you visit. Aim at brightening someone elses day.
Give a homeless person some food vouchers along with a Pay it Forward card.
At your office, thank the little people. Everyones part is essential and no ones job is
purposeless. Thank the mail guy, the girl who orders supplies, or the door person.
Drive an older person in the neighborhood to the grocery store (they will love the opportunity
to get out of the house, as well) or if they arent able to go themselves, take their list and go to
the store for them. If at all possible, pay for their things.
Be a mentor for someone who needs some support.
Do some work for a client or one that cant afford your services free of charge just ask that
they Pay it Forward.
Reading to kids at a local library
Cleaning a neighborhood house.
Pay for someones cup of coffee.
Host pay it forward activities in your office, school, church or community.
Buy the next persons food.
Help someone out in need
Be creative!