The Movie Guys: ‘Pay It Forward’ should have spent on better story

Friday, Oct. 20, 2000 | 10:44 a.m.

The Movie Guys, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun. They can also be seen on the 11 a.m. Friday newscast on KVVU Channel 5. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/visual and themovieguys.com.

Grade: Jeff C, Dave C

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel osment and Jay Mohr.

Screenplay: Leslie Dixon.

Director: Mimi Leder.

Rated: PG-13 for adult themes, violence, drug use and profanity.

Running time: 122 minutes

Playing at: UA Green Valley Cinemas, UA Showcase 8, UA Rainbow Promenade 10, Century Orleans, Century Suncoast, Century Cinedome 12 Henderson, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Regal Cinemas Texas Station 18.

Synopsis: Emotionally and physically scarred social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) challenges his young students to devise some type of philanthropic plan and put it into effect. Trevor (Haley Joel Osment), a bright boy whose troubles at home include dealing with his alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt), takes the assignment to heart and invents the "pay-it-forward" philosophy, which encourages paying back favors in advance.

Dave: I remember back in my days at Paul E. Culley Elementary School when one of our teachers assigned the class a project that asked us how we could make a difference in our community. Of course, at that age, all you ever really think about are recess, holidays and your favorite Saturday-morning TV shows . So probably the best idea any of us youngsters came up with was to clean up the litter that lined the fences around the school yard. Again, we were only 7 or 8 years old, right? Yet in the new drama "Pay It Forward," that same assignment is a tad more provocative and applied on middle school students whose teacher is curiously passionate about their education.

Jeff: It's encouraging to finally see a major motion picture filmed in Las Vegas that doesn't involve organized crime, showgirls, mobsters or people drinking themselves to death. "Pay It Forward" portrays Las Vegas as any other city with schools, businesses and families facing everyday problems, and leaves behind the Sin City stereotype. Hunt is Arlene McKinney, a single mother raising her son, Trevor (Osment), the best she can while working two jobs and battling a drinking problem. Trevor fights for attention at home and has no friends to speak of, but he's very keen and becomes attached to his new teacher, Mr. Simonet (two-time Oscar winner Spacey). Quickly becoming the matchmaker for the two, Trevor hopes to find a father figure for the role left vacant by his deadbeat dad (Jon Bon Jovi). Amid all of the romance, this is actually part of his first schoo l assignment -- to somehow better the world through his actions. He begins by helping out a homeless man (James Caviezel) a! nd letting him sleep in the family's garage.

Dave: From there, the ambitious project that Trevor works on is best described as a human-chain letter -- do a good deed for three unfortunate individuals in hopes they will do the same. Unlike his fellow social studies students who make light of his ideal movement, Mr. Simonet is intrigued and encourages Trevor to pursue his social interest. That is until he realizes he is part of this innocent project. Eventually the results appear dreadful as each of Tervor's attempts seems to fail. Unknown to him, however, is the plain fact that paying it forward has prompted a tenacious Los Angeles reporter, Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr), to track down the origin of the idea after someone does a generous, yet extreme, act of kindness for him. It's a subplot that seems to be more of an intrusion throughout the story, as Chandler makes his way to Las Vegas, rather than a bu ilding factor for the movie's dramatic twist in the end.

Jeff: Here we see another well-loved novel brought to the big screen that (so I'm told) doesn't remain faithful to itself. This may have read better in the book of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde, but the film falls short of inspiration and seems forced, sappy and overly optimistic. The performances are strong, with Spacey and Osment mastering their roles -- and even Hunt is competent, but wrongfully cast. The standout of the film is Angie Dickinson as Arlene's homeless, street-bound mother, Grace. She gives her all in an emotional display that should attract some Oscar attention.

Dave: Come on, Jeff, to say Academy Award-winning Hunt (1997's "As Good As It Gets") is merely "competent, but wrongfully cast" is a total discredit to the most shining portrayal of the movie. Her struggle with alcohol is terribly realistic as she combs the obvious hiding places in the house for her bottles of booze. When she is finally threatened with rejection by her young son, Arlene is faced with the awareness of her problem and the means to pay it forward by making amends with Grace. If any Oscar attention is to be made, Hunt's name is sure to be brought up by year's end. Nonetheless, the positive message this film preaches is lost on its level of simplicity. I must make mention about how composer Thomas Newman's high-strung contribution sounds awfully similar to his Oscar-nominated score for last year's "American Beauty." He hits every solemn marker on a more manipulative note, further proof of the empty impression rather than an inspired sentiment that this film leaves ! behind. A disparity, actually, that I believe the filmmakers were desperately trying to avoid.

Jeff: I wanted to feel motivated and upbeat by the film's end, but both Dave and I did not. Much of the problem was the misguided storyline provided by Leslie Dixon ("Mrs. Doubtfire") and Mimi Leder's unfocused direction. The emotional scenes weren't faithfully executed, and her choice of coverage lacked concentration. "Pay It Forward" has a surprise ending that we are bound by a critic's code of ethics to keep a secret, but it's no secret that this Hollywood syrup festival is too sweet, lacks any true heart and its good intentions get lost in the translation.