My review
 by Liss

"I had mixed feelings about the movie. I thought Kevin was wonderful. He showed us a little bit more with his emotions this time. I'd have to compare this to his movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in a way. Whenever the movie moved away from his part of the story, it lost my interest. Haley Joel Osment was very good. Helen Hunt was better than I expected, but seemed to have trouble really expressing emotion when she needed to. I think that may be the director's fault. A great director should be able to pull a great performance out of an actor. 

I don't know how Kevin managed to pull off his Jack Vincennes smirk during the scene where he's talking to Haley and then gets in the car outside of the school. But it was very nice. While I thought Pay It Forward was lacking in some ways, it was still better than that American Beauty movie from last year! 

I give Kevin's kissing ****. The rest of the movie I can't bring myself to rate. Here's looking forward to K-PAX!" * I just watched the video on the PIF movie chat and it was a bit better on the small screen.

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Review 
by Dawn
 
I went to see Pay it Forward, during a Sneak Preview Weekend. I expected almost an empty theatre for a 7:00pm showing, but I was surprised. It was a full theatre, which made me very happy, but hard to find a seat. I always enjoy the anticipation of a Kevin Spacey film. Especially if I can see his films before they open to the general public. It is usually hard to wait 9-10 months from the time of filming to when it comes to the theatre. 

I always enjoy Kevin's movies because he makes me smile. He is charming and full of laughs. Kevin is very entertaining. Pay it Forward is a different role for Kevin. Playing Eugene Simonet (a severe burn victim) is a good character for Kevin. It has dimensions and he does a fine performance. 

The story is basically good but lacks continuity. They should spend more time on the student/teacher relationship. In our society today, people don't want to believe that sentimentality is worth watching. This story is of people struggling everyday to be better people. This movie will become another one of Kevin's enjoyable performances. Patiently waiting for more performances to come..............................

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Pay It Forward review  
by Anne Mott  
                                  
I liked this film ALOT. I thought it was interesting and very touching. The only thing I didn't like was the song playing over the last scene. I thought it was too overly sentimental. It made me feel manipulated, and I refused to cry. I loved the love story between Arlene and Eugene, and thought it was done nicely. I like the idea of Paying it Forward, and didn't feel preached at. I intend to buy this as soon as it's available on DVD.

I would give this movie **** out of 5. 

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Pay It Forward review 
by Bonnie Kavett

"Think of an idea to change the world--and put it into ACTION." This is the idea behind Mimi Leder’s new film, "Pay It Forward." I had the privilege of catching an early screening of this thanks to the NYU Program Board and the Network Events Theater.

The film stars two Oscar winners, Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey, as well as young nominee Haley Joel Osment. Spacey plays Eugene Simonet, a seventh grade social studies teacher whose severe facial scarring only masks the brutal emotional scars he carries inside. On the first day of school, he presents his class with the unusual assignment, extra credit of course, to try and change the world. Haley Joel Osment is Trevor, a precocious and compassionate eleven-year-old who takes this assignment to heart and comes up with the Pay It Forward idea. His plan, to do three huge favors for three people, and then each of them must do favors for three more people, until the chain of good deeds has reached astronomical levels. It’s like a pyramid scheme, but where the goal is to help others instead of yourself. One of his actions, the one that really drives the story along, is to set up Mr. Simonet with his single, alcoholic, cocktail waitress/stripper mother, played by Helen Hunt. Although at first it seems as if the two couldn’t be more incompatible, it becomes obvious that they are both in fact opposite sides of the same coin and are both lonely people, desperately searching for companionship, yet unsure of how to deal with their feelings for each other.

Kevin Spacey, once again, delivers a masterful performance, at times reminiscent of his role in last years "American Beauty," but with a much more human core. When he reveals how his burns were inflicted, it is both poignant to the story and it allows him to reach an emotional stage I had not yet witnessed. While Helen Hunt’s character is similar to that in "As Good As It Gets," I felt she gave a superb portrayal of a single mother struggling to overcome both her alcoholism, as well as her abusive ex-husband. And as for Haley Joel Osment, there is only one word that can be uttered: Wow. This kid, this twelve-year-old, reigns supreme over most adult actors in Hollywood and even manages to steal the screen during his scenes with Spacey, a very hard task to accomplish. This proves that "The Sixth Sense" was no fluke and that this young man will be around for quite a while. There was also some very striking cinematography pitting the harsh reality of the impoverished against a background of the fanciful and luminous Las Vegas Strip.

"Pay It Forward" does have its flaws, however, the most prominent of which is the complete and utter miscasting of Jon Bon Jovi as Trevor’s absent father, Ricky. I do not know what the director had in mind when she decided on him for this role, but the reactions he produces within the audience upon his arrival are completely the opposite of what is intended in the scene. He is too much of a "pretty boy" to give off the callous and unsympathetic vibe needed as an abusive drunk. The only good thing about his performance is that you can truly see just how great the other actors are in comparison. I also found the sequencing of the film to be a bit disconcerting. It opens four months ahead of the action, which is then revealed in flashbacks as the Pay It Forward "movement" (as it is now called) is being tracked from Los Angeles by reporter Chris Chandler (the perfectly sardonic Jay Mohr.) Some people will no doubt be against the "goo factor" that is presented here, but what’s wrong with a film that is moving, that relies on the goodness and honesty of people? It is a very heartwarming film and it has its moments of comedy as well, but it is also tragic and tear jerking. Do not go in expecting a conventionally happy ending, but one whose message is uplifting and thought provoking.
 

 

Driving Mr. Spacey!: The positively untrue life and times of Kevin Spacey,
with a few real facts thrown in for fun.

All collages and photo enhancements were done by me using Microsoft® Picture It!® 99

© 2001 Driving Mr. Spacey!