2000, PG-13, 122 minutes

Some people, critics in particular, often claim that when they go into a movie, they go in with an open mind and no preconceived expectations. Obviously, logic tells us this is complete bull, because it is. I'll admit that before seeing Pay It Forward my expectations weren't exactly through the roof, however, by the time the credits rolled I found it was a lot better than I anticipated, although that isn't saying much

The one thing you'll definitely hear about Pay It Forward is that it isn't the most subtle piece of work. This is true. The story practically bashes us over the head with its messages and sentimentality, but at the same time we get a number of surprises, as well as a few excellent cinematic moments. "Pay it forward" is a world-changing idea that a Las Vegas seventh grader named Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with for an extra credit assignment in his social studies class. The process is simple: you must commit three random acts of kindness for three people, and then tell them to do the same for three other people (and so on and so on). We follow Trevor's attempts to make his plan work, one of which involves bringing together his single, alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) and his lonely, closed-off teacher (Kevin Spacey). At the same time, a Los Angeles reporter (Jay Mohr) becomes a recipient of pay it forward, and begins to track down the source.

Basically, people are either going to be deeply moved by this film, or they're going to absolutely despise it - as usual, I fall in the middle. Sure, maybe pay it forward wouldn't work all that well in real life, but then again, this is a movie. Even though I was able to accept the concept without worrying about reality, there were definitely some parts of this film that could've avoided being so blatantly obvious. However, the story as a whole is strong enough to make up for it. We get a glimmer of hope from man-kind, which would've been nauseating had it continued, but the story is able to create a balance between good and evil and does so in a way that I found to be quite moving -- although I'm sure some people will find it manipulative.

Now, I'm going to talk about the end of Pay It Forward, but I'm going to be careful to not give anything away (unlike some critics who purposely went out of their way to spoil it). While the events that take place at the very end are as clear as can be, the perception of these events and what they mean can lead to a number of clashing opinions. Ironically, the people who dislike this film will probably see the ending as upbeat and inspirational, while the people who like it will see it as a harsh, bitter view towards the world we live in.

Whether or not you like this film, the one agreement between sides will be that the cast was superb. Haley Joel Osment is arguably one of the best actors in all of Hollywood, and what's amazing is that he isn't even a teenager yet. His performance consists of so much more than just playing a "kid," as there are several moments where he must convey his emotions on a grand-scale. Kevin Spacey is also very good as a social studies teacher, portraying a man who has had to spend his life covered with burn marks, and is socially inept as a result. Helen Hunt is good as Trevor's alcoholic, trailer-trash mother, although they went a bit out of their way to make her look like it. Jay Mohr and James Caviezel are sufficient and the rest of the cast is...okay, although most of the real acting comes from the three stars.

If you saw the trailer for Pay It Forward and thought the concept was interesting, chances are you'll be able to accept it in the context in which it's presented and you'll end up enjoying it. On the other hand, cynics or people who can't stand even the slightest bit of "cuteness" should avoid this film like the plague. All in all, I found Pay It Forward to be a little too obvious for its own good, but certainly not as bad as some people would have you believe.