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Pay It Forward (2000)
Tomatometer
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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.
Reviews for Pay It Forward
Ironic, isn't it, that a film about human decency takes place in Vegas?
The film seems manufactured to furrow a cynic's brow before bringing up their lunch.
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.
Despite a ton of good intentions, the picture is numbingly obvious and crushingly sentimental.
It is a movie that will not only find but charm -- or should we say con? -- a certain kind of audience.
A fine, honest tale that gives full respect to the pain of yearning and the power of hope.
Hopefully, I've now prevented three people from seeing this film, and now they will each prevent three other people from doing the same.
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.'
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 70% 70% | Where the Wild Things Are | 03/12 |
| 83% 83% | Paranormal Activity | 03/12 |
| 89% 89% | Zombieland | 03/12 |
| 76% 76% | The Informant! | 03/12 |
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- Pay It Forward at Rotten Tomatoes
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