Ok, this is the big favor I’m going to do for y’all. Don’t go to this movie. For the love of God, do not go to this movie. Unless you like cardboard characters played by two actors who can’t act, and a wasted performance by a guy who CAN act (Kevin Spacey)
That movie was SOOO HORRIBLE. Oh my God, I wish I could turn back the clock, so I could avoid that horrible piece of glurge.
So, maybe I missed it, but what the hell movie was this?
Pay It Forward
Thanks, I didn’t want to be the first to ask…
Who dies?
Hmm… never heard of it. I think I’m glad of that now.
FTR, the two actors that can’t act are Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt.
It was better than “It Could Happen to You” and “Day of the Warrior”. 'Nuff said.
Thank you for backing me up without even knowing it.
Wonder what I’m talking about? Thought you might.
I want everybody to see this, so they will be warned of the travesty that is Paying It Forward.
I went and saw it because I heard it was good. I heard wrong. It attempted to be so emotionally manipulative. What’s really frustrating is that if they would have left out all the tear-jerking stuff and instead followed the pay it forward premise itself, it could have been a fascinating movie. But they didn’t and it wasn’t.
Well, I think Haley Joel Osment can act – or he could in “Sixth Sense,” and it seems unlikely that that’s changed. But even the best of actors can be bad in a bad movie. By way of illustration, see “The Negotiators,” in which a spectacularly rotten script makes fools of both Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. John Travolta is another reasonably good actor when carefully cast, and he is more than capable of being bad in a bad movie.
That said, “Pay It Forward” made it onto my “not on a bet” list as soon as I heard about it, and I’m sure it’s every bit as bad as y’all say.
I liked it. It wasn’t “Casablanca,” but jeez I was not expecting a masterpiece. I liked the premise and I thought it was enjoyable. Certainly a step down from “American Beauty” for Kevin Spacey, but it was well worth my $9. It was sweet in the very least, but then I like to cry at movies.
The book is much better, FYI.
After reading this, I rushed over to http://www.rottentomatoes.com to see what the critics thought. Most thought it was awful.
Many of them hated the ending in particular, but don’t reveal it. This is the responsible thing for a critic to do.
But we’re not critics. Well, not professionally… So, someone please tell me the ending. And if you hated it, feel free to throw in as much sarcasm as you like. I love a rotten review.
I’ll reveal the damned ending, courtesy of Lisa Schwarzbaum at Entertainment Weekly.
Haley Joel Osmont’s character dies. He gets stabbed and he dies, and there is a resulting Princess Di-style mass mourning all across America, with tear-jerking tributes and flowers delivered to his home from all over. He becomes a martyr. That’s how emotionally manipulative this movie apparently is.
ugh, thanks pl and plg - I was planning to see it(Kevin Spacey could sit in a chair and entertain me), but hearing the ending makes me want to vomit.
I saw it, because, like magdalene, I am a big Kevin Spacey fan. He was excellent, as usual - some very nice subtleties in his performance. Helen Hunt annoyed me. I thought the movie was ok up until the last 15 minutes.
Kevin Spacey should get a prize for saving what could have been an amazingly manipulative role. As it was, I was left only mildly squirming in my seat. I hate feeling used! I think it’s right that the “pay it forward” idea was interesting, but it was shown only in the context of this cartoon group of people. Even the romance between two scarred people could have been nice, but it was all too over the top.
“Glurge” is a great word! For this movie, and just in itself.
I side with those who say the movie was alright before the last 15 minutes or so.
Ehhh, I liked the ending. I thought it was sad. I cried like a baby.
I am also the only person out of everyone I know who liked “What Dreams May Come” for the tear-jerker factor, so that’s understandable. 