"Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest Difference"
Chris (Jay Mohr), a journalist, helplessly stands by his car damaged by an accident, in a lonesome night, an old man (Thorsen) appears out of the blue, like an angel and gives Chris his own brand new Jaguar S-Type car.
Chris: You’re giving me a brand-new Jaguar, and you don’t want anything?
Thorsen: I can prove it. Give me your card.
Thorsen: I’ll be in touch.
Chris: Whoa, what is this? What, you want me to kill your wife or something?
Thorsen: No. Tempting, but no. Call it generosity between two strangers.
When Chris becomes too inquisitive about the reason behind this human gesture, Thorsen just requests him to "pay it forward". This statement provides no aid in quenching Chris’ query and he is left with thousands of thoughts and more queries, in his mind. On insistence, Thorsen shares, that in past, a gangster (who was bleeding himself) had helped him in saving his asthmatic daughter and asked him not to return, but to pay the favor forward. The whole story shakes Chris and thereon he commences on testing the actuality of the statement.
Somewhere in Las Vegas a school boy Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) always believed in humanity. One fine day his belief gets wings, when he comes across his new social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey), who is burnt throughout his face and neck. Eugene tosses many thought provoking questions in the class, but only Trevor is able to comprehend them. Trevor takes up a new voyage in terms of a project to make the world a better place. He comes up with a concept called "PAY IT FORWARD". The rule of the concept was:
+ It has to be something that really helps people.
Trevor gets his share of three people in the form of - a roadside useless/homeless man Jerry (James Caviezel), whom he provides shelter, food and strength to stand up on his feet. Second is his teacher Eugene whom he tries to aid, by introducing him to his mother Arlene (Helen Hunt) , with the wish that they can sort out their loneliness. Thirdly, his friend Adam.
Simultaneously Chris’ journey ends , and he meets Trevor the mastermind behind the concept of "Pay Forward". Chris is convinced by Trevor that he had indeed begun a movement after meeting a certain gangster, and listening to the experiences of an old alcoholic lady and Arlene.Their story insitigated him to start the movement. Each one of them had unveiled, that how the concept forced them to give up on certain things and motivated them to offer a helping hand. They confessed that they were neither bound, or were on a gunpoint to return the favor ;nor they feared God’s might falling upon them, still they felt burdened till they passed on the favor.
Chris congratulates Trevor on starting this movement and questions "If he feels Proud?"
Trevor replies "I don’t know (If I am proud), I guess"
For reasons known to him, he sounds dissatisfied, but WHY? Please watch it know …
Director Mimi Leder, has done a phenomenal job of presenting the whole concept brilliantly, and has convincingly conveyed the moral without being over preachy. Though he is known for his thrillers with this flick he proves his mettle of being a versatile director .
Actors Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt are well known and continue to impress as expected. But I went gaga over the kid "Haley Joel Osment", he surpasses all my expectations and can easily be categorized as a matured actor. With his eye expressions and half sentences, he speaks volumes.
Editing is perfect, considering the preaching nature of the movie, for it never lets you slip into an oblivion or feel that it’s overdone.
Now coming onto the concept of "Pay it Forward", have you ever done so? Have you ever paid for all the kindness that you ever got, good deeds that ever happened to you?
Forget about paying it forward have you ever paid back the favour? Have you ever been grateful for what’s being done to you? Have you even given a thought to that particular gesture and reminisced it with a warmth in your heart? The warmth conveying the fact that when you were in dire straits or in need, out of the blue someone extended that hand … somebody stood… somebody cared…somebody understood…somebody helped…
The mess which occupied your whole life was cleaned up by somebody
And this just makes you realize, the importance of a "Help", "Loving words", "forgiveness". In quest of passing on this crucial virtue, you extend that helping hand to others or do a favor.
Paying it forward works in may have many facets … A forgiveness which you were granted for your fault by somebody, can easily be extended when you stand as the victim and has to pardon somebody from the guilt? Won’t it build a relationship? Won’t it relieve you from the negativity that you carried so long? Won’t it make this world free of hatred? .
I can just go on and on about it but don’t want to be over preachy. But somebody rightly said "it takes a moment to get enlightened, transformed" I was a different person by the end of watching this one…Love someone, forgive someone, help someone, build someone, and make this world a beautiful place…
But many of us can question like a typical critique will this actually work..? Can world be a better place? In Trevor’s own words during the climax of the movie.
"I feel people are too scared or something to thinks -- things can be different
The world exactly is not… SH!T
I guess it’s hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they’re bad - to change. ’Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses."
Are you scared of thinking out of the box, or belong to the lot who are content with the way things are and will never work towards betterment of the circumstance.
Will you not change if I tell you … cause of you many are loosing …
Its time to pay ...!