Pay It Forward is a movie about a seventh grader's ingenious plan to make a difference in the world. On the first day of school, Trevor McKinney (played by Haley Joel Osment) and his classmates are challenged by their social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet (played by Kevin Spacey), to change the world. Written on the blackboard, the challenge reads: "Think of an idea to change our world—and put it into action." While most children disinterestedly slouch in their desks, Trevor is mesmerized by the possibility of changing the world.

As Trevor rides his dirt bike back to the modest home in which he and his struggling, alcoholic mom live, he detours to a place where the homeless gather. An unkempt, unshaven man devouring a chocolate cookie catches Trevor's eye. Motivated by his teacher's challenge, Trevor invites the man to come and sleep in his garage. Trevor's mother (played by Helen Hunt) is unaware of this arrangement until she awakens one evening to find the homeless man working on her broken-down pickup. Holding the man at gunpoint, she asks him to explain himself. He starts the truck to show her that he has successfully repaired it and tells her about Trevor's kindness. He says, "Somebody comes along like your son and gives me a leg up, I'll take it. I can't mess up again, or I'll be dead. I'm just paying it forward." Quizzically, Trevor's mom asks, "What's paying it forward?"

The next day Trevor explains to his class his amazing plan of paying it forward. Mr. Simonet and Trevor's classmates are enthralled by Trevor's idea. To explain his plan, he draws a circle and explains, "That's me." Underneath it, he draws three other circles, saying, "That's three other people. I'm going to help them, but it has to be something really big—something they can't do for themselves. So I do it for them, and they do it for three people. That's nine people." And nine lives turn into 27.

As the movie proceeds, "paying it forward" changes the lives of the rich, the poor, the homeless, and a prisoner.

Elapsed Time: Measured from the beginning of the opening credit, the garage scene begins at 0:30:16 and ends at 0:33:51.

Content: Pay It Forward is rated PG-13 for vulgarity and profanity.