History Film / PayItForward

'''''Pay It Forward''''' is a 2000 movie [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on the novel]] by Catherine Ryan Hyde, starring Creator/HaleyJoelOsment, Helen Hunt, Creator/KevinSpacey and, in a minor role, [[BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]].

* DeathIsDramatic: [[spoiler: Trevor]] gets stabbed at the end. Cue SlowMotionFall and then cut to the ER doc telling the the mother he's dead on which she collapses.

* PatrickStewartSpeech: Trevor gives one at the end during the taped interview.

* RaceLift: Trevor's teacher was African-American in the book, but played by KevinSpacey in the film. The role had been offered to DenzelWashington, but he had to decline due to a prior commitment.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Played for laughs with the reporter early on, when he is offered a Jaguar for free by a stranger. The reporter is baffled and asks if he perhaps was expected to [[AlwaysMurder kill the stranger's wife]] in return and when this is denied he suspects the Jag to be rigged and blow up in an ExternalCombustion (which of course was not the case).

* AnAesop: The CentralTheme of the movie.is that by performing random acts of kindness for complete strangers we are able to change the world for a better.
** Becomes a BrokenAesop when it turns out that every good deed Trevor does just barely escapes failure. The homeless man relapses into his drug habit; his mother's and Eugene's relationship turns sour not long after Trevor brings them together, and then fails again as her ex-husband comes back.
*** Note: The fact that Trevor's efforts eventually get himself [[spoiler: brutally killed]] are not proof of a BrokenAesop. The underlying idea is not to receive goodness back (which would be ''paying it back''), but to make the world a better place for all. And the publicity around his [[spoiler:death]] actually helped to get the idea spread. And possibly make the bullies change their ways. For more discussion on the topic, visit the [[WMG/PayItForward WMG page]].

* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Knife]]: The knife smuggled into school by the bullies at the beginning is the one [[spoiler: Trever]] is being stabbed with at the end.

* InterruptedSuicide / TalkingDowntheSuicidal: Trevor's first person to receive the "Pay It Forward" treatment stops a woman from jumping off a bridge.

* PaedoHunt: A stranger approached Trevor and attempted to touch him when his teacher came in and kicked his ass.
* PatrickStewartSpeech: Trever gives one at the end during the taped interview.
* RaceLift: Trevor's teacher in the book was African American. Enforced as they could not get Denzel to play as him so they got Spacey instead.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Played for laughs in the beginning, when the reporter is offered the Jaguar for free. He asks if he should [[AlwaysMurder kill the stranger's wife]] in return and when this is denied he believes the Jag is rigged to blow up in an ExternalCombustion.

*** Note: The fact that Trevor's efforts eventually get himself [[spoiler: brutally killed]] are not proof of a BrokenAesop. The underlying idea is not to receive goodness back (which would be ''paying it back''), but to make the world a better place for all. And the publicity around his [[spoiler:death]] actually helped to get the idea spread. And possibly make the bullies change their ways.
*** For more discussion on the topic, visit the [[WMG/PayItForward WMG page]].

** Turns into a BrokenAesop when it turns out that every good deed Trevor does just barely escapes failure. The homeless man relapses into his drug habit; his mother's and Eugene's relationship turns sour not long after Trevor brings them together, and then fails again as her ex-husband comes back.

* AnAesop: The CentralTheme of the movie. By performing random acts of kindness for complete strangers we are able to change the world for a better. Some argue, it is a BrokenAesop because all it leads to is [[spoiler:Trevor]] being brutally killed. However, the underlying idea is not to receive goodness back (which would be ''paying it back''), but to make the world a better place for all. And the publicity around [[spoiler:Trevor's death]] actually helped to get the idea spread.

* AnAesop: By performing random acts of kindness for complete strangers we are able to change the world for a better. Some argue, it is a BrokenAesop because all it leads to is [[spoiler:Trevor]] being brutally killed. However, the underlying idea is not to receive goodness back (which would be ''paying it back''), but to make the world a better place for all. And the publicity around [[spoiler:Trevor's death]] actually helped to get the idea spread.

* WrongGenreSavvy: The reporter in the beginning when offered the Jaguar for free. He asks if he should [[AlwaysMurder kill the stranger's wife]] in return and when this is denied he believes the Jag is rigged to blow up in an ExternalCombustion.

* WrongGenreSavvy: The reporter in the beginning when offered the Jaguar for free. He asks if he should kill the stranger's wife in return and when this is denied he believes the Jag is rigged to blow up in an ExternalCombustion.

* BrokenAesop: The film is trying to tell us that paying it forward is a worthy concept, [[spoiler:but all it leads to is Trevor being brutally killed]].

'''''Pay It Forward''''' is a 2000 movie [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on the novel]] by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

* Jerkass: Trevor's father.

* VivaLasVegas: Subverted. We get a glimpse [[CrapsaccharineWorld behind the shiny facade.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Played straight with Eugene's facial scars are not that repulsive, but subverted later when he [[FanDisservice exposes his badly-scarred chest]].

'''''Pay It Forward''''' is a 2000 movie based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

* GangOfBullies: [[RuleOfThree Three]] of them.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Subverted. Eugene's facial scars are not that repulsive, but later when he exposes his chest, [[FanDisservice it's a very different story]].

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:the two bullies who murder Trevor seem to get no punishment for, you know, ''murdering him''.]]

* TooGoodforThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler:Poor Trevor...]]

''Pay It Forward'' is a 2000 movie based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

!! '''This film provides examples of''':

* InterruptedSuicide: Trevor's first person to receive the "Pay It Forward" treatment stops a woman from jumping off a bridge.

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: Trevor's father beats his mother, Mr. Simonet's father beat his mother and him (not to mention '''''burning him alive'''''), and Trevor's grandmother is implied to have been this.]]

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding]]: [[spoiler:Trevor is senselessly murdered, yet the ceremony implies that he's still left an impact, including that of the audience (see FridgeBrilliance)]].

* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim]]

* HeroicSacrifice

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: the two bullies who murder Trevor seem to get no punishment for, you know, ''murdering him''.]]
** Though if nothing else [[spoiler: their presence at the remembrance ceremony, coupled with the looks on their faces, suggests they're [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone remorseful]]]].
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished [[spoiler: In this case, it gets you killed!]]
* NotAfraidOfYouAnymore: Trevor's teacher tried to do this [[spoiler: to his dad when he was young. To quote a previous role that he played: It didn't work.]]

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: the film is trying to get an idealistic conclusion with a cynical backstory [[spoiler: and an equally cynical ending]].
* TooGoodforThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: Poor Trevor...]]

Though well-regarded, the film's ending is generally considered [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory terrible]].

* DiabolusExMachina: Infamously.

* CreatorKiller: Mimi Leder didn't direct for nine years after the film bombed with critics and audiences.

* SnicketWarningLabel: Stop the movie as soon as the guy is done interviewing Trevor.

* HeyItsThatGuy: BonJovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi plays Hayley Joel Osment's dad.
* InfantImmortality: [[spoiler: Subverted with Trevor.]]