Pay It Forward (2000)

A young boy attempts to make the world a better place after his teacher gives him that chance.

Director:

Mimi Leder

Writers:

Catherine Ryan Hyde (book), Leslie Dixon (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Spacey	...	Eugene Simonet
Helen Hunt	...	Arlene McKinney
Haley Joel Osment	...	Trevor McKinney
Jay Mohr	...	Chris Chandler
Jim Caviezel	...	Jerry (as James Caviezel)
Jon Bon Jovi	...	Ricky McKinney
Angie Dickinson	...	Grace
David Ramsey	...	Sidney Parker
Gary Werntz	...	Mr. Thorsen
Colleen Flynn	...	Woman on Bridge
Marc Donato	...	Adam
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Bonnie
Liza Snyder	...	Michelle
Jeannetta Arnette	...	Nurse
Hannah Leder	...	Thorsen's Daughter (as Hannah Werntz)

Storyline

Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward--repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. Trevor's efforts to make good on his idea bring a revolution not only in the lives of himself, his mother and his physically and emotionally scarred teacher, but in those of an ever-widening circle of people completely unknown to him.

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Plot Keywords:

social studies | teacher | boy | good deed | alcoholism | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest Difference.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including substance abuse/recovery, some sexual situations, language and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. (US)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cadena de favores

Filming Locations:

Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,631,359, 22 October 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,519,628

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,707,411

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,Bel Air Entertainment,Tapestry Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Trevors room while his parents are arguing the song Last Resort by Papa Roach from the album Infest

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Goofs

After Trevor runs away, Arlene is talking to the police and says if she had a car, she'd be looking for him. Later, she even asks Eugene to drive her around to look for Trevor because she had no car, but earlier in the movie, Jerry fixes her truck, so she had no need to ask someone else for a ride. This is assuming of course, that she had resolved the issue of the truck not having all of its wheels on it - since it was raised on a stand, with at least one wheel missing.

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Quotes

[Thorsen gives Chris the keys to his car]
Chris: You want me to drive home in your car?
Thorsen: No, I want you to take my car. Had a lot of luck lately. I don't need it.
Chris: You're giving me a brand-new Jaguar, and you don't want anything?
Thorsen: I can prove it. Give me your card.
[Chris gives Thorsen a business 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.

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Connections

Referenced in Psych: Autopsy Turvy (2012)

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Soundtracks

New
By Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont
Performed by No Doubt

User Reviews

Unforgettable

In our world helping other people is perhaps the most important we can do. Children are the ones who often teach us how to behave in certain unpleasant circumstances. It is not only a moving story but everybody who sees this film stops for a moment or more and think over the meaning of life. One of the best American films I have ever seen with lots of good actors. Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt are wonderful. In secondary schools it should be a compulsory part of education. I am a teacher and when I want to talk about this topic I always choose this film and students find it a very good example, too. It has not got a happy ending like it often happens in life. It is not a stupid story, it gives us lots of extras. When I first watched it, at the end of the film I was full of emotions and just could not sleep for a while. To put it into a nutshell: Try it and pay attention to Pay it forward.