Pay It Forward

Warner Brothers
PG-13

Pay it forward is “doing something for somebody that they can’t do for themselves.  You just have to do that three times, and the people you help do it three times, then it gets bigger. It goes from three to nine to 27 and on and on and on.”

The film starts with a young reporter being rebuffed by the police for a story. He then watches his car get demolished, after which the surprising part happens–a stranger stops to give the reporter his Jaguar. The whole film is about one boy’s homework, and how that assignment changes the world.

The assignment in question is extra credit, an assignment that Social Studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) gives every year. Think Of An Idea To Change Our World–And Put It Into Action. When Mr. Simonet asks for their responses, they tell him the assignment’s ‘weird’ and ‘hard.’ Mr. Simonet suggests another word: Possible. It is from this simple but potentially complex assignment that many different lives are affected.

Study questions
At the beginning of Mr. Simonet’s class, he introduces Social Studies in a fresh and different way. He tells the students that Social Studies is “You and the World.”

• Were you surprised by a teacher who doesn’t immediately go to the textbook, saying something like ‘turn to page 5 and work on the review questions at the end of the chapter’?

• Talk with the group about your teachers, especially those who inspire you (either current teachers or some from the past).

Mr. Simonet, on the first day of class, points out the following to his students: "What does the world expect of you? Nothing."

• From your own experience, is this true?

• How do the world’s expectations influence you as you make decisions every day?

• What about individual people? Do you give more of yourself to people who expect more from you? Why or why not?

Think Of An Idea To Change Our World–And Put It Into Action

• Trevor took the assignment seriously, truly trying to change the world. But taking in a homeless drug addict was a little dangerous. What are some ways he could have made a difference in someone’s life without putting himself in danger?

• What are some things you can safely do to make a positive difference in the lives of others?

“Trevor’s idea is the first I’ve heard that’s original and that takes into account the goodness of other people and that takes faith.” 

• Often we interact with the world expecting the worst from people. How would the world be different if we treated each other expecting the best from them?

• Read Matthew 25:31-46

• How would the world be different if we interacted with everyone as if they were Christ incarnate?

'Pay It Forward' is all about giving away without expecting anything back, in fact, we expect nothing back when we expect folks to pay it forward.

• Read 1 John 4:7-12

• Does this sound familiar? Where does love come from first?

• Ask yourself the question, “Where is God in this movie?”

• How is 'Pay It Forward' similar to our lives as children of God?

• Read Luke 14:7-14 and also Luke 22:24-27

• What do you expect from people when you do something nice for them?  How do you expect to be repaid?

Toward the end of the movie, Trevor is being interviewed by the reporter from the beginning (remember the Jaguar?). In the interview, Trevor says things like, “People are too scared to take a risk,” “People are used to things being the way they are” and “People give up on people and everyone kind of loses.”

• What do you think of what he said in the interview? Was he right, or just saying stuff that sounds good but will never work in the real world?

• How are you different after seeing this movie? In what ways will you attempt to pay it forward?