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This captivating and uplifting movie from 2000, based on Catherine Ryan Hyde's book of the same title, was overlooked somewhat at the box-office. Then again, box-office hits usually speak of heart-meltingly handsome heroes saving the world with the most selfless grace. So when director Mimi Leder (Deep Impact) decided to make a film about an inspired American schoolboy determined to change the world, it was obvious that she wasn't going for a summer blockbuster.
But neither is this movie a protracted moral lecture built on false convictions. There are nuggets to be mined from this film. Issues about human relationships, kindness, compassion, faith and our societal roles are interwoven to make an extraordinary story. However, underneath all that, there is a wake-up call for us. We are compelled to make an emotional investment as well as a moral introspection in this movie.
 Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) is 11-year-old Trevor McKinney who is about to lose faith in everyone he loves. Everyone he could count on seems to have an affinity with the bottle. Dad, a violence-prone alcoholic, got kicked out of the house. Mum, played by Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, Twister), sneaks on a bottle or two when her son is not watching. Grandma is a tramp who visits the liquor store more often than her grandson.
On his first day in his seventh grade class, Trevor's frustration with the world is suddenly transformed into a mission by his social studies teacher. Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, Seven) is the physically scarred but emotionally steely Eugene Simonet. He has a superior vocabulary that he uses generously to compensate for his superficial deficiency. The compulsively organised somewhat geeky teacher throws a challenge as a yearlong social studies assignment to his class: "Think of an idea to change our world - and put it into action."
As Mr Simonet psyches his students up to the challenge, there is a sense of him assuming a detached yet protective persona - ironically, awakening the children to the imperfect world in the guise of finding a perfect solution to mend it. Little does he know his metaphorical ideal about fixing the world galvanizes the quixotic Trevor. Taking a literal interpretation to his teacher's challenge, Trevor comes up with the utopian idea of "Pay It Forward".
The story runs on two converging timelines. Scenes of Trevor working on his project alternate with trackdowns by a reporter named Chris, culminating in the revelation of the magnitude of the project.
Trevor's idea is about perpetuating a chain of kindness and compassion. Each person pays forward the kindness he or she receives to three other persons. But it doesn't stop there. Each of those three persons would in turn have to pay it forward to another three more persons, and so on. As the chain takes on a life of its own, the circle of kindness widens.
As if this is not incredible enough, this young Einstein ups the ante by sensibly insisting that the help has to be something big, something that means a lot to the persons receiving it which they cannot do themselves. As we realise the exponential effect and the potential impact of his idea, we are overwhelmed by its incredulity and excited by its possibility at the same time.
Scenes of Trevor incorporating his childish antics into his audacious plans to carry out his ideas are at once hilarious and heart-warming. His measured precociousness and confidence, a perfect foil for the adults' scepticism and weaknesses, remind us of this young protagonist's extraordinary strength. His lone anguish and despair at the obstacles he faces reveal the mammoth scale of his task, resting on his tiny shoulders. Watching Trevor's determination, we suddenly understand why "Pay It Forward" is assigned to the ideal of a child.
Unless we are hardcore cynics, it is difficult to remain impervious to the poignant scenes in the film. One scene, in particular, appeals to my sentiments. In an interview with Chris, Trevor displays joyful hope for the world. In his child-like glee, he plays down the compliments heaped on him and proffers his insights into the adult world that you think came from Mahatma Gandhi. As he muses on the odds that were stacked against him, he resonates with the compassion and humanity that underpins his ideal. You cannot help but feel inspired and motivated by the courage and ideal of this young boy, to partake in his ideal and pay it forward yourself.
Oscar nominee Osment, once again wins the audience over with his doe-eyed soulful portrayal of a frustrated child on a mammoth mission. At times frighteningly convincing in his anguish, he has an uncanny knack for outshining his much older co-stars. Helen Hunt as the trailer trash peroxide blonde Arlene McKinney, is somewhat a déjà vu. Her "waitress-struggling mum" role rings a few bells with those who watched her in As Good As It Gets. As the disfigured Eugene Simonet whose calm respectability and quiet discipline belie a painful childhood, Kevin Spacey chooses to speak more with his intense gaze and measured body language. Ironically, his deliberately suppressed character makes easy his awkward romance with Arlene. While the romance is insipid and not quite gripping enough, it is still moving and engaging.
 The idea of "Pay It Forward" is as audacious as it is simple. Author Hyde, the "Pay It Forward" progenitor in real-life, was herself a recipient of unexpected help when her car broke down on a deserted highway. That selfless kindness from a stranger sets her thinking about generating a chain of kind acts that could help others caught in similar desperate situations.
Perhaps a few may scoff at the naïve and even risky approaches employed by Trevor for his idea, but they are missing the point. Trevor's story and thus the movie itself is only a vehicle that carries a much bigger and more important purpose. With the book and the movie as an obvious social exemplar for educational and social studies worldwide, it is no surprise that "Pay It Forward" is spreading from the reel to the real world.
Evidence of this phenomenon is present in the ubiquitous real-life "Pay It Forward" movements, not just in America but worldwide, including Singapore. You may already be familiar with the phrase "Pay It Forward" from the Channel News Asia true-life stories series, about people receiving kind acts from the most unexpected people.
Another instance is, of course, our very own myLovematters magazine which salutes the kind deeds of individuals and organisations through its inspiring stories. More significantly, its vision of spurring readers to step forward and help others bears many similarities with Trevor's idea.
 While Pay It Forward may not be your special effects laden box-office hit, it is likely to stay in your memory long after you have forgotten your last car-chasing scene. Beyond cinema, it serves a bigger purpose which apparently was not lost on its audience, judging by the adoption of its values and ideals in the real world.
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