Pay It Forward
Pay It Forward is a 2000 American romantic drama film directed by Mimi Leder. The film is based loosely on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It is set in Las Vegas, and it chronicles 11- to 12-year-old Trevor McKinney's launch of a goodwill movement known as "pay it forward". It stars Haley Joel Osment as Trevor, Helen Hunt as his alcoholic single mother Arlene McKinney, and Kevin Spacey as his physically and emotionally scarred social studies teacher Eugene Simonet. The film was released on October 20, 2000, to mixed-to-negative reviews and was a box office disappointment, grossing $55.7 million worldwide against a $40 million budget.
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| Running time | 123 minutes
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| Country | United States
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| Language | English
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| Budget | $40 million
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| Box office | $55.7 million
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Trevor McKenney: You want to lie to me.
- In the scene where Helen Hunt's character strikes her son Trevor across the face, Haley Joel Osment requested that she actually hit him to make it seem more realistic. However, director Mimi Leder declined.
- In the book, the teacher is a black man named Reuben St.Clair. The role of Reuben was originally offered to Denzel Washington but was turned down due to other commitments. When Kevin Spacey agreed to the movie the character was changed to a white man named Eugene Simonet.
- The license plate 2GAT123 which appears in this film also features in Traffic (2000), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Mulholland Dr. (2001), Crazy/Beautiful (2001), L.A. Story (1991), Two and a Half Men (2003), S.W.A.T. (2003), and Go (1999).
- The bridge that the "jumper" is on, is the Saint Johns Bridge in Portland,Or.
- Haley Joel Osment celebrated his 12th birthday on the set during the last day of shooting. Although Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt had completed their own filming, they turned up on the set just to celebrate his birthday. Coincidentally, Trevor McKinney, the character played by Haley, celebrated his 12th birthday in the movie.
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