Pay It Forward Movie Review
Thursday night I watched the movie Pay It Forward again. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed that movie. Pay It Forward had great, believable performances by Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment. They all played confused, conflicted and complicated characters (how's that for a string of C words?
) and they played them very well.I remember the first time I saw the movie, someone else who had seen it commented "I wish Trevor hadn't died at the end, it was so unneccessary to the film." I disagreed then, and I disagree even more strongly now. Trevor needed to die, in order to turn the movie from a good movie to a great movie, from a movie that people will remember for a few days to one that they will never completely forget.
Because the death of an innocent on behalf of another is one of the themes in literature which resonates profoundly with all of us - it is a theme which strikes at our hearts deeply. To use the terminology of classic literature, Trevor would be called a "Christ figure" - the innocent who suffers and dies (and is pierced through the side!) in order to save another. It is the story of ultimate love and devotion.
And the notion of "paying it forward" is itself borrowed from the Bible, from the teachings of Jesus. "Pay It Forward" is an idea which Jesus kept returning to over and over again in his teachings. Consider these:
In John Chapter 13, Jesus is getting ready to partake of the Passover, on the last night before He will go to trial. Before they can celebrate the Passover, however, they must have their feet washed (both a ceremonial cleansing and a necessity, considering they walked on dirt roads wearing sandals!). And in an unbelievable move of service, the master of them all gets down on his knees and washes their feet. There's a bit of a disagreement about whether Peter will let Jesus wash his feet (good old Peter!
) but in the end, Jesus washes all their feet. But the crowning moment of this strange scene is when Jesus looks at them and says:John 13:12-17
" Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Now that you have been served, he is telling them, you must Pay It Forward, by doing for others what I have done for you.
And that's not the only time this teaching appears. Consider Matthew 18, where Peter asks "How many times should I forgive someone who hurts me? Seven times?"
And Jesus answers: "No, seventy times seven!" And then he tells a parable of a king, a servant, and a debtor.
Matthew 18:22-34
Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
Interesting, isn't it? The king does not expect that the servant will pay him back, but he does expect that the servant will Pay Forward his generosity and compassion.
One last Pay It Forward lesson...Jesus goes to a feast and is disturbed by the arrogant, favor seeking, glory hounds surrounding him, so he speaks up and says:
Luke 14:12-14
"When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
This is the life of the disciple of Christ - to Pay It Forward at every opportunity. Yet it's one of the hardest lessons to remember, because we are so self-centered, and Pay It Forward requires us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.
A tall order for any of us...but..."to whom much is given, much is required"...now doesn't that sound like something Trevor said to Mr. Simonet?
Posted On Jun 18, 2005 at 3:57 AM
On Sep 21, 2005 Preacher wrote: Interesting take on an old movie. I had not thought of it in this light. Great insight.
Doug Replied: Thanks!
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