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Movies / Upcoming / Pay It Forward
Pay It Forward

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Pay It Forward (2000)

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Reviews Counted:124

Fresh:49

Rotten:75

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Pay It Forward has strong performances from Spacey, Hunt, and Osment, but the movie itself is too emotionally manipulative and the ending is bad.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $32,801,029

Synopsis: Based on a best-selling novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde and boasting the star power of two Oscar winners and a young nominee--Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment--PAY IT FORWARD spins a... Based on a best-selling novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde and boasting the star power of two Oscar winners and a young nominee--Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment--PAY IT FORWARD spins a heartwarming yarn about an 11-year-old boy who comes up with an utopian idea as a project for school. History teacher Eugene Simenot (Spacey) offers the same ongoing extra-credit assignment he has proffered every year: Come up with an idea that will change the world. However, he expects nothing more from his students than halfhearted efforts that fall far shy of their mark. Simenot is therefore unprepared for precocious, irrepressible Trevor McKinney (played with wide-eyed wonder by Osment), who conjures up a stunning scheme. Trevor suggests the concept that every person who benefits from someone else's good deed should "pay it forward," instead of paying it back, and in turn offer favors to three other people. The first guinea pig for Trevor's experiment is his overworked, imperfect mom (Helen Hunt) for whom he tries to find a boyfriend. Director Mimi Leder, best known for such powerful thrillers as DEEP IMPACT, imbues the solid script of PAY IT FORWARD with a more grandiose aura. However, it is the movie's triumvirate of heralded stars--Spacey, Hunt, and Osment--that propels this compelling yarn. [More]

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, Jay Mohr

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, Jay Mohr, James Caviezel, Angie Dickinson, Jon Bon Jovi

Director: Mimi Leder

Director: Mimi Leder
Producer: Robert L. Levy, Peter Abrams, Steven Reuther, Leslie Dixon
Composer: Thomas Newman
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Reviews for Pay It Forward

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
02/23/01
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Bob Grimm
Bob Grimm
Sacramento News & Review

Ironic, isn't it, that a film about human decency takes place in Vegas?

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/23/08
Blake French
Blake French
Filmcritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
03/31/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

The film seems manufactured to furrow a cynic's brow before bringing up their lunch.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
10/18/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

There is a clear-cut difference between 'Oscar bait' and 'Oscar worthy,' which Mimi Leder's sentimental crock of a drama illustrates all too well.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
10/14/07
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

Despite a ton of good intentions, the picture is numbingly obvious and crushingly sentimental.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/06/05
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is a movie that will not only find but charm -- or should we say con? -- a certain kind of audience.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
12/15/03
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
05/07/03
Stacie Hougland
Stacie Hougland
Hollywood.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

A fine, honest tale that gives full respect to the pain of yearning and the power of hope.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
02/07/03
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Hopefully, I've now prevented three people from seeing this film, and now they will each prevent three other people from doing the same.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Ron Wells
Film Threat

Spacey and Hunt create interestingly layered characters who are hiding parts of themselves from themselves. And come Oscar time, Osment once again may be saying, 'I see tuxedoed people.'

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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