The
Movie vs. The Book
By Debra A. McCampbell, KidActors
When Pay It Forward, the movie opens on October 20, 2000, fans of Pay It Forward, the
book will notice immediately that many things are amiss.
The first, most obvious difference is that two of the three main characters do not
resemble the descriptions of them in the book. That is, Kevin Spacey is not a tall,
African American Vietnam vet and Haley Joel Osment does not have curly black hair and a
vaguely Hispanic appearance. The jury's still out on exactly why these changes were made.
But the producers of the film will tell you it's because they wanted Spacey as soon as
they read the script. Lucky for us, they also wanted Osment.
 Next, you might notice that the story
has moved form the sleepy California town of Atascadero, California to off The Strip in
Las Vegas, Nevada. This was done to add flavor to the story and I think it's a great
choice. Ten years ago, while attending a convention in Vegas, I walked around just off The
Strip with friends. We were stunned at the poverty and desperation we witnessed that most
tourists never see. And just this week, I watched two TV specials on Las Vegas that got me
thinking seriously about what it would be like to be Arlene and Trevor McKinney, trying to
survive against the unique backdrop of decadence and faded dreams the town represents. It
should give extra dimension to their cinematic struggles.
Soon, you'll notice that people are missing. There's no Mrs. Greenberg. The favor
Trevor does for her was replaced by a struggle to help a classmate at school. I really
loved her story in the book but I understand why it was dropped. It allows for a nifty
trick of movie-story economy that makes the subplot with the classmate monumentally
important to the film's climax. It's a risky move but it makes a lot of screen-sense. I
just hope the story's delicacies don't get short cut. 
It appears to me that the adaptation remains most true to the relationship between
Trevor, Arlene and no, not Rueben, Eugene. Spacey changed the character's name. 'Kay…
Anyway, it's the love between those characters that ultimately matters at the end of the
movie. And the faith they all had in one another.
There are other additions and distractions. Angie Dickinson plays Arlene's mother,
apparently from the publicity stills, a skid-row-drunk. The character was a walk-on in the
book. Here, she is much more important. Arlene pays it forward by forgiving her mom who
then pays it forward to Sidney G. He pays it forward to the guy who gives Chris the car.
While Jerry Busconi, the homeless man Trevor helps remains, the trip to Washington to
meet the president is gone. That brings me to what I consider to be the scariest change
the filmmakers chose to make. If there's no Washington, there's no Gordie. Remember that
classmate I mentioned before that Trevor was trying to help? If you've read the book,
you'll understand when I say the classmate fulfills Gordie's role plot-wise. So, of
course, the setting for that event has changed. I won't know how to feel about this until
I've seen the movie.
 But after repeated viewing of the
first trailers, I must say that I am very excited about the film. I know it's going to
shred me. And I know that I'll love it. I must warn you, you better bring tissues if you
tend to cry and a sweater if you tend to get chills. I think we're in for a whole lot of
both.
I encourage all of you who have not yet treated yourself to a reading of the wonderful
book, pick up a copy when the paperback edition hits the newsstands. You will mostly
likely love it as much as I do. If you'd like to see the artwork for the upcoming
paperback, you can check it out at Catherine Ryan Hyde's website (click the link below).
My sincerest thanks to her for answering some of my most vexing questions.
Finally, I urge everyone who has read the book to refrain from spoiling any part of
this story for those who choose to wait for the movie. |
