Pay It Forward (Cinema: July 2001)

If you are anything like me you will be thinking story lines these days have got very weak and shallow and you can't predict easily what will happen next. This film however you sooo won't.

It's not an action movie and even verges on the edge of being a chick flick save the presence of Kevin Spacey pulling it back from gooey girlsville. As a huge Kevin Spacey fan, I may be biased but he is exceptional in this film. He plays a teacher with burns over the one side of his face while Haley is one of his pupils from a broken home. His mother (Helen Hunt) is an alcoholic trying to sort out her life after the boy's father ran off - who is also an alcoholic wife beater (played by Jon Bon Jovi). Don't worry he isn't in the film long enough to ruin it.

Basically the story starts off in the future and goes back over how it happened. Mr Simonett (Spacey) sets the class a project for the year and Haley decides to go to town with it. I am not going to tell you any more 'cause it is a truly fabulous film. Spacey's little one line comments are truly fantastic and delivered with exceptional timing and the casting is entirely perfect even though Jon Bon Jovi's in it. He actually works well (John Bon Jovi acts well? Never thought I would here those words in the same sentence but anyway).

I was really moved by this film and I never cry at films but this one was true brilliance. So if you fancy something to satisfy both gender appetites take a look. You will not be disappointed.

RATING:

(c)JAY K 2001