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:

Three imperfect people. One perfect idea.

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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:

Coronado High School, 1001 Coronado Center Dr, Henderson, Nevada, 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

Trevor is supposed to be in middle school. However, the school scenes were filmed at a high school in the northwestern part of Las Vegas.

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Goofs

In the ending credits, special thanks are given to "O'Callaghas Middle School." This should actually refer to O'Callaghan Middle School, named after former governor Mike O'Callaghan.

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Quotes

Sidney: The world is a shithole, pardon my French an' shit.

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Connections

Referenced in Unikal'noe pozdravlenie (2014)

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Soundtracks

Open Your Window
Written and Performed by Steve Earle

User Reviews

What movies are supposed to be

Pay It Forward is a prime example of what films are supposed to do: make you laugh a little, cry a lot, and profoundly affect you in a way that keeps you thinking about the movie for weeks afterwards. I saw it at a special preview screening and was blown away. My friends and I sat through the entire credits because we were so taken by what we had seen. Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and the phenomonal Haley Joel Osment once again give performances worthy of Oscars. I only hope there isn't some "retaliation" of sorts because of their previous wins and nominations because they deserve it again this year. But the big winner here is director Mimi Leder who has moved from action films into great cinema. She demonstrates the fine tuned skills she showed while directing ER. As I sat there, one eye kept a close watch of the story while the other marveled at the beautiful direction of every scene. They have my vote for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay. Awe-inspiring!!!!