8/6/2019 Pay It Forward Project Cle
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PAY IT FORWARDI. Summary
When 11 1 2-year-old Trevor McKinney begins seventh grade in Las
Vegas, Nevada, hissocial studies teacher Eugene Simonet gives the
class an assignment todevise and put
into action a plan that will change the world for the better.
Trevor's plan is acharitable pyramid scheme, basedon gooddeeds
rather than profit. He calls his plan"Pay it forward", which means
the recipientof a favor does a favor for a third partyrather than
paying the favor back. Trevor does a favor for three people, asking
each ofthem to "pay the favor forward" by doing favors for three
other people, and soon,along a branching tree of gooddeeds. His
first gooddeed is tolet a homeless mannamed Jerry live in his
garage, and Jerry pays the favor forward by doing car repairs
forTrevor's mother. Trevor's efforts appear to fail when Jerry
relapses intodrug addiction,but Jerry will pay his debt
forwardlater in the film by talking a suicidal woman outof
jumping off a bridge. Meanwhile, Trevor's mother Arlene
confronts Eugene aboutTrevor's project after discovering Jerry in
their house. Then Trevor selects Eugene ashis next "pay it forward"
target and tricks Eugene and Arlene into a romantic dinnerdate.
This also appears to fail until Trevor and Arlene argue about her
alcoholism andshe slaps him in a fitof anger. The two adults are
brought together again when Trevorruns away from home and Arlene
asks Eugene to help her find him. After findingTrevor, Arlene
begins to pursue Eugene sexually. Eugene has burn marks visible on
hisneck and face, and he initially resists Arlene's overtures. When
they finally sleeptogether, he is seen to have extensive scarring
over his torso. Arlene accepts Eugene'sphysicaldisfigurement, but
abandons their relationship when her alcoholic ex-husbandRicky
returns to her, claiming to have given up drinking. Ricky's return
angers Eugene,whose own mother had a habitof taking his abusive,
alcoholic father back. He explains
that his father intentionally burned him, and he warns Arlene of
Ricky's potential toabuse Trevor. When Ricky resumes his abusive
behavior, Arlene realizes her mistakeand asks him toleave again.
Trevor's school assignment marks the beginning of thestory's
chronology, but the opening scene in the film shows one of the
later favors inthe "pay it forward" tree, in which a man gives a
car to Los Angeles journalist ChrisChandler. As the film proceeds,
Chandler traces the chain of favors back to its origin inTrevor's
school project. After her date with Eugene, Arlene paid Trevor's
favor forwardby forgiving her own mother Grace for her mistakes in
raising Arlene, and Grace, who ishomeless, helped a gang member
escape from the police. The gang member thensaved a girl's life,
and the girl's father gave Chandler his new car. Chandler
finallyidentifies Trevor as the originator of "pay it forward" and
conducts a recorded interview
in which Trevor describes his hopes and concerns for the
project. Eugene, hearingTrevor's words, realizes that he and Arlene
should be together. As Eugene and Arlenereconcile with a passionate
embrace, Trevor is stabbed while defending a friend againsta group
of bullies, and he consequently dies at the hospital. This news is
reportedontelevision, and Eugene and Arlene are soon visited by
hundreds of people who haveparticipated in the "pay it forward"
movement, gathering in a vigil to pay their respectsto Trevor.
