Pay It Forward doesn't quite strike payday, but it comes close. Mr. Simonet assigns his Social Studies students to come up with a way to improve the world. Of course, he doesn't really expect them to do so, but surprise, Trevor McKinney, age 11, does exactly that. Trevor picks three people to do a favor for that they can't do for themselves, that isn't easy and that, to repay the favor, they have to do a favor for three other people. If you think about how this could progress geometrically you'll see that such an idea truly could change the world one life at a time starting with Trevor's Mom and Mr. Simonet himself.

I've heard Pay It Forward described as "modern day Capra corn." and there may be some truth to that, but if so, I'd take it as a compliment if I were one of those involved in the making of Pay It Forward. After all, Capra created It's A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and Mr. Deeds Goes To Town films who's sentimentality is matched only by their success. The acting in Pay It Forward is easily deserving of Academy Awards across the board; not surprising considering that the lead actors involved; Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osmont are some of the most talented actors in the business. The story itself is very good with a surprise twist that certainly caught me by surprise. Be warned, take a hanky, you'll need it by the end of the film.

Still though, Pay It Forward is not perfect. The story alternates between the present, when Trevor begins his project, only to flash forward several months as a reporter tries to backtrack the origin of the pay it forward movement. This could've been an interesting story telling technique, but instead, as the two stores slowly come together, becomes confusing. Hunt and Spacey delivered truly brilliant individual performances, but there was no real sense of chemistry between the two of them. Even more detrimental was the constant on again, off again nature of their relationship as they took two steps forward and one step back in their attempt to become a couple. Less time should have been spent on their relationship and more time in how the pay it forward movement was actually being spread from person to person.

In the end Pay It Forward is a wonderful film, Capra cornish or not, though the theatre I saw it in was far too dusty causing my eyes to water heavily by the movie's end. See Pay It Forward because who knows, if a movement such as this one could actually get started maybe it truly would change the world for the better.

Grade A

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