Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward (2000) Drama/ Romance 10/10

This movie has a fairly good cast. There are lots of actors/actresses that appear or have a decent portion of the film. Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment.. This is after Haley Joel Osment sees dead people in the Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan). Spacey is the teacher of a grade 7 class. He gives the class a challenge “Think of an idea for world change, and put it into action”. This sounds like a daunting task and who would think a 12 year old kid would be able to make change in the world... BUT then there's Trevor (Osment). His mum's an alcoholic, working two jobs and never sees her son. He resents the fact that she is never around and decides that he is going to take matters into his own hands. He comes across the Pay It Forward model, which is something that he modifies so that he can make a change in the world. The model is a pyramid style but the goal is to make a significant change in 3 peoples lives. Trevor ponders and experiments with people that he can help or make a difference for. There are many trials and tribulations but Trevor's teacher, Spacey, is amazed by his determination to complete the challenge and also leave an impact on the world. Trevor does just that and makes his challenge come to life and work. This movie definitely got myself thinking because I somewhat feel like I partially do this challenge every day. Every day I try to do something nice for someone no matter what. Whether it's holding a door, making someone smile, helping someone in a certain way... there is always something you can do without having it cost you a million dollars (BUT if you have a million dollars and want to do something with it, GO RIGHT AHEAD!). This is a little bit more like random acts of kindness and the fact that I help/ do something every day doesn't mean that I am trying to make a significant change in a persons' life but I am doing something to help/ give hope for humanity. In a world where self-entitlement is running rampant, you need to be the change you want to see in the world AND every little bit counts. Below is the model of how the Pay It Forward model works.

 

Pay It Forward Trailer