Pay It Forward

There's no faulting this movie's Capra-esque concept, equal parts optimism and sad recognition of the world's intrinsic harshness, but its manipulative execution may rub you the wrong way. Each year, social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) gives his seventh graders the same extra-credit assignment: Think of a way to make the world a better place and put it into action. But this time around there's a new idea amidst the usual half-assed recycling projects: 11-year-old Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) proposes a kind of chain letter of good deeds. Find three people who need help, give them a hand and tell them that instead of paying back the favor, they should...