James Longkumer
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” was the skeptical response of one of Jesus’ disciples when he was told that the Messiah is from Nazareth. A walk down The Strip in Las Vegas and a drop by at the Luxor was simply enough to reckon likewise, “Las Vegas! Can anything good come from there?” Las Vegas is a city in the middle of a desert that sparkles at night like a gemstone, where neon lights have virtually evolved to an art form and have become tantamount to the name “Las Vegas.” The city literally comes alive only at night where entertainment by all names and games serve everyone’s need and taste, whether young or old. Gambling, the main allure of Las Vegas haunts tourists even in the privacy of the restrooms, where slot machines are conveniently placed for gaming from the comfort of one’s toilet seats. Wedding Chapels in Las Vegas are equally enticing institutions for many where an impromptu marriage can be ceremonized quickly on the way to the casino and only to declare as “divorced” on the way back. Sex in the city is another ubiquitous industry too! While flyers and visiting cards are all in the business of sex, rows and rows of vending machines on the streets no longer vend newspapers but only sexpapers. No wonder, Las Vegas is fondly known as the “Sin City!” “Las Vegas! Can anything good come from there?”
“Pay it Forward” is a movie that is set in one of the most unlikely of places—Las Vegas! The movie unfolds into a story that can be perfectly labeled as mythical to be happening in a city like Las Vegas, where the ugly head of hedonism towers above anything else! Amidst a locale like Las Vegas, “Pay it Forward” weaves into one redeeming tale that needs telling.
“Pay it Forward” passed off in the box-office as an average movie back in 2000. The movie however has not been forgotten by those who are sensitive to enabling even the least good in a self-seeking murky world. The underlying theme of the movie reverberates in many a situation as it challenges one of the most pervasive human predicaments—egocentricism! With exceptional castings like Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, and the gifted child actor Haley Joel Osment, the movie spins on a single premise with a few unpredictable fables intercut in between.
Trevor (Osment) is the central figure in the story, a kid whose father has disappeared and whose mother, Arlene McKinney (Hunt), works two jobs as a Vegas cocktail waitress. Trevor’s mother Arlene is also a recovering alcoholic with a few relapses still to go. At school, Trevor becomes intrigued by the distant presence of the new teacher, Eugene Simonet (Spacey), whose scarred face is no less an object of curiosity.
The movie begins in a junior high school social studies class where the discussion is about how bad the world can be. When social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet, gives an assignment to his junior high school class to think of an idea to change the world for the better and then to put it into real action, Trevor—a resourceful latchkey kid, comes up with an idea and shares this with the class. He calls it “pay it forward.” Trevor’s “pay it forward” theory is simple: someone does you a good turn, you pass it on to three other people, and they pass it on to three others as well. In applying his theory Trevor not only affects the life of his struggling single mother Arlene, but also sets in motion an unprecedented wave of human kindness. Unbeknownst to Trevor, his idea blossoms into a profound phenomenon not only at home and in the school, but also in the neighborhood and in the city.
Things begin to happen in Trevor’s life as he puts forward his theory into real action. Before long Trevor invites a homeless drug addict, Jerry (James Caviezel—Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ”), feeds him and gives him a place to sleep in the garage. To “pay it forward” Jerry fixes Arlene’s car without her knowledge. Arlene, upon discovering that her son has been helping a homeless man, kicks the man out and goes to the school to find out what kind of teacher would assign such a strange homework. The teacher assures Arlene that taking a homeless man home was not the assignment. The teacher only knows that the “pay it forward” actions have begun to spread.
Trevor decides that two other people that he should help are his teacher and his mother. One of Trevor’s theories is that his mother and Mr. Simonet would both be a lot happier if they were dating each other. Although Mr. Simonet does not agree initially, Trevor begins to set Mr. Simonet with his mother. Slowly, new life begins to emerge and for a short time it seems to work. A romance develops. Mr. Simonet’s scars and disfigurement on his face are not an issue with Arlene. In a long while, Mr. Simonet feels acceptance by another person. Things begin flowing in a good direction. Arlene’s alcohol habit wanes and good times seem to be in the offing for all three of them.
The past however suddenly resurfaces and begins to haunt all three. Arlene’s abusive husband (the rocker Jon Bon Jovi) returns, only for Arlene to allow him back into her life again. The romance between Arlene and Mr. Simonet begins to fall apart. Although Mr. Simonet stops coming to see Arlene, he becomes concerned and fears that Trevor could be abused by his father, because as a boy he had been set afire by his abusive father a long time ago—the scars on his face tells it all!
With the unexpected turn of events, failure looms in Trevor’s mind as well. Fretful about the state of things, Mr. Simonet encourages Trevor not to give up on anything. A bonding begins to emerge between the two and a profound connection develops. Trevor also encourages Mr. Simonet not to give up on the relationship with his mother. Arlene gets rid of her abusive husband and she and Mr. Simonet iron out their differences with the determination to move forward.
But along this trajectory, the movie has several interventions between the predictable progress of the romance and the uncertain progress of Trevor’s “pay it forward” scheme. A scene suddenly opens with one of those off-the-shelf hostage crisis that ends with a criminal crashing into a news reporter’s car. A passing stranger gives away his expensive luxury car to the victim. He is simply paying it forward. Back on the street, the homeless man spots a woman attempting suicide. He confronts the woman and ultimately rescues her. He is simply paying it forward. In the most unlikely of ways, a prisoner gets medical attention for a young woman in the hospital with gun-waving threats. He is simply paying it forward.
The father of that young woman happens to be the one who gives away his new Jaguar to a news reporter. The “pay it forward” idea spreads and random acts of kindness mushroom everywhere. The news reporter decides to do a story on this phenomenon and tries to track down the “pay it forward” stories. Finally, the world comes to know about the source of “pay it forward.” The reporter at last finds Trevor and interviews him for national television.
The movie however has a heart-wrenching ending. Trevor’s life ends while trying to save a fellow schoolmate who happens to be a victim of frequent bullying. Trevor’s intervention costs him his life. Trevor pays it forward with his life.
From a humane vantage, “Pay it Forward” does come as a very seductive theory. But in reality, egocentricism, greed, nepotism, xenophobia, tribalism, and paranoia are more powerful than altruism. “Pay it Forward” is a utopian ideal that went berserk at the end! The word “Utopian” appears in the movie right at the beginning in the classroom blackboard.
But does the “Pay it Forward” story sound familiar to Christians? The narrative seem to resonate well with what the Gospels testify about Jesus’ teachings on grace and mercy: feed the hungry, give refuge to the homeless, attend to the sick, help the disabled, invite strangers to your home, be peacemakers, stand up for the weak and downtrodden, have mercy, love justice and righteousness, love your neighbor, love your enemy . . . . Besides, Trevor’s life also figuratively resembles the life of Jesus—the one who gave life to others but also died for them! Although there are pointed symbolisms about Jesus’ life and teachings in the movie, “Pay it Forward” is certainly not a movie with Christian motifs—NOT AT ALL! Rather, by exploiting deconstruction as a viewing standard, the movie appears to be a parody about Christians who are so caught up with their “religion” that Jesus’ teachings of grace and mercy are in many ways institutionalized only within the four walls of the church. Like the skeptic disciple of Jesus, Christians are also wont to surmising, “Can anything good come from there?” “Pay it Forward” is, but only a movie. Nevertheless, the message it echoes is loud and clear for Christians to reassess their institutionalized spiritualities and instead work towards engaging in ministries of grace and mercy.
Grace and mercy are in dire want and to be found in the most unlikely of places—in a city like Las Vegas—a city which Christians would easily censure, “Las Vegas! Can anything good come from there?” In places which are most censured and persons who are most shunned by the society, it is in these situations where Christians must actually learn to dispense grace and mercy. One need not go all the way to Las Vegas to enable grace and mercy—just a look around one’s locale will confirm about those who live in constant need of grace. There are people right in our own homes, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, churches, and on the streets—the alcoholic, the drug addict, the black sheep, the unwed mother, the abusive father, the prostitute, the prisoner, the sick, the disabled, the heartbroken, the heavily burdened, and the many homeless and hungry people who wander around hopelessly on the streets—they all need to be ministered with grace and mercy. Christians must be the first ones to embrace all those who are in the margins—not shun them. Christians who have been paid for 2000 years ago now need to “pay it forward.”
James Longkumer is a student of Theology
