Susan Granger’s review of “PAY IT FORWARD” (Warner Bros.)
It’s a bit early to start my Best Pictures of the Year list, but this powerful, thought-provoking film packs such an unexpectedly emotional wallop that it’s right up there! The story revolves around a serious 11 year-old (Haley Joel Osment) whose social studies teacher (Kevin Spacey) challenges the class to “Think of an idea to change our world – and put it into action.” Life’s not been easy for the troubled 7th grader whose single, alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) works two jobs on the strip in Las Vegas and whose abusive, deadbeat dad (Jon Bon Jovi) could return at any time. But he devises “pay it forward,” meaning that he does one significantly good, kind thing for three people who, in turn, do one significantly good, kind thing for three more people, etc. – thereby making a difference. And his scheme brings his wary mother and emotionally repressed teacher together romantically, an added bonus, plus catching the attention of a news reporter (Jay Mohr) who traces its impact. As the lonely teacher with a horribly burned face, Kevin Spacey’s character is delicately etched with a tender reserve of humor and irony, while Helen Hunt bears more than a passing resemblance to Julia Roberts’s “Erin Brockovich.” But, once again, Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”) steals the show and should be looking at another Oscar nomination. His performance is pure perfection, erasing the line between acting and essence. James Caviezel and Angie Dickinson score dramatically as homeless derelicts. Based on a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, it’s beautifully written by Leslie Dixon (“The Thomas Crown Affair”) and brilliantly directed by Mimi Leder (“Deep Impact”). On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Pay It Forward” is an extraordinary, triumphant 10, a definite must-see.
