It's unfortunate that writers can't come up with better endings. In the case of the film, Pay It Forward, they really blew it. With such a positive beginning it made you feel like there's hope for this world. Of course, a sex scene had to be thrown in just to get a PG-13 rating. Without the sex scene and the semi nude "techno girls" dancing in a bar, it may have been a PG-13, even though Helen Hunt's bosom was all too often too exposed. She did an excellent job of portraying the real life character, but do we have to always overdo the sexual for the sake of realism? I would rate this film PG-17. I also would not want my children to see a film with such a negative ending.
The idea of change is not new to us in Divine Administration. We are called "change agents." We try to make huge positive changes every day with the hopes, like in the movie's theme, that others will pass it on and make some good changes themselves.
It was good to see Kevin Spacey play a good guy with good intentions instead of a bad guy with bad intentions, like he got the Academy Award for. Why is it that so many movies today have to have a tragic ending? I guess the promoters think more people are going to go see a movie the more tragic it is or the more stunned the audience will be. I disagree; I think the audience that saw Pay It Forward was thoroughly disappointed with its ending. It leaves you thinking that anytime you try to do something good you're going to end up getting hurt or even murdered. It leads you to think that good guys lose, and that it's better to be apathetic than courageous and greedy instead of generous. I would not want my children to think if they did something wonderful they might end up like the boy did in this movie.
During the movie I shared warm laughter with the audience and felt a sense of hope in all of us until that very stupid and dreadful ending.Then I sensed the spirit in the theater drop and people quickly got up and walked out, I'm sure feeling very down with little or no hope. The wonderful, positive message of the movie was lost with the all-too-often scenario portrayed in the ending–good guys lose, good intentions are always crushed by the evil or ignorant, and real heroes often lose their life for the sake of others. It's a shame the film makers think martyrdom is the only way for a noble concept to spread around the planet.
It is the hope of Divine Administration that if enough people can truly change and raise their consciousness and do wonderful things for other people that they don't have to end up martyrs. Right when the wonderful new family was about to have happiness evil wins out again. Is that what this planet really has to look forward to? I prefer happy endings. I choose to have hope in the goodness of humankind. And I'll continue to "pay it forward."
~Van of Urantia*MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America
