Aug 14, 2011
Did you ever have a teacher that inspired you to change the world? Trevor McKinneyís seventh grade Social Studies Teacher did just that. An extra credit assignment leads Trevor to find his own way of improving the world one person at a time.
Itís nearing the end of the year and we can expect Hollywood to begin releasing their Oscar hopefuls. Pay It Forward is one of the first to hit the big screen. Its cast loaded with big names and big talent should draw many a moviegoer to the theaters. But does it hold up to its billing? You Bet it does. Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, I’ll Remember April, Forrest Gump) shows that his attention grabbing performance in The Sixth Sense was more than a fluke and delivers a respectable acting job once again. How can you go wrong with Kevin Spacey (The Big Kahuna, American Beauty, Hurlyburly) in your movie? You canít. Spaceyís career is so hot now that Tom Hanks (The Green Mile, Youíve Got Mail, Saving Private Ryan) may now have some serious competition at the top. Spacey brings a deep and pained, but average guy quality to this role. If these two arenít enough, Helen Hunt (Dr. T and the Women, As Good As It Gets, Twister) rounds out the cast with a top-notch performance as Trevorís alcoholic Mother. As the cable infomercials would say ìbut wait, thereís moreî. Jay Mohr (Cherry Falls, Go, Suicide Kings) and Jon Bon Jovi (U-571, Row Your Boat, Homegrown) add good, believable supporting characters that really help ground the story. Did I say ìJon Bon Joviî? Yep, who would have thought this guy could reinvent his career and shed his ë80s glam-rock persona and do a credible job as a big time actor in two of the yearís best films (Pay It Forward & U-571).
What about all the Academy Awards buzz weíre hearing? Pay it Forward is good, but in my humble opinion itís not quite that good. Though I liked Spacey and Hunt in this, Iím holding out in anticipation of something greater.