The principle of happiness

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Movie
German title The principle of happiness
Original title Pay It Forward
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2000
length 123 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Mimi leather
script Leslie Dixon
production Peter Abrams ,
Robert L. Levy ,
Steven Reuther
music Thomas Newman
camera Oliver Stapleton
cut David Rosenbloom
occupation

The happiness principle (original title Pay It Forward ) is a film drama by Mimi Leder from 2000 . The film is based on a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde . The author founded a foundation to turn the idea from her story into reality.

action

The new social studies teacher Eugene Simonet - disfigured by burns - confronts his students with a difficult and interesting task right from the start. Let them think of something with which they can make the world a better place.

Young Trevor has a special idea. According to his principle of “passing on” you should do something good for three other people. They do not return the favor, but instead help three other people each. This is how good deeds continue to spread according to the pyramid scheme .

Trevor picks three people he would like to help. He helps his teacher by pairing him up with his mother Arlene, he helps a drug addict to start a new life by giving him a night's shelter and buying new clothes for him, and he wants to help his classmate Adam in a fight, which he does but cannot muster the necessary courage. The first two endeavors do not seem to have borne fruit either: the drug addict could not get rid of his addiction, and his teacher and mother are having a hard time in their relationship. His mother ends her relationship with Eugene when Trevor's father - now supposedly dry - comes back to her. She throws Trevor's father out again when she realizes that he is really not dry, but Eugene is offended and cannot bring himself to forgive her and start the relationship again. It so happens that Trevor sees his idea of ​​improving the world as a failure.

In reality, however, the idea has started to spread, because the recipients of Trevor's benefits have meanwhile kept their promise to do something self-sacrificing for three of their fellow human beings, until a reporter finally becomes aware of this pyramid scheme of happiness. He visits Trevor on his birthday to tell him about the success of his idea and to interview him. Trevor's words during the interview eventually lead Eugene to forgive Trevor's mother. After the interview, Trevor sees his classmate being beaten up again by the same rowdies and takes the courage to help the third person he once set out to do. One of the thugs pulls a knife and Trevor is injured. Eugene and Arlene come to the aid of Trevor; he is taken to the hospital and dies there.

Eugene and Arlene later watch a television report of Trevor's idea and his death, and learn that the movement has now spread across the nation. Outside, they see thousands of people gathering to show their respect to Trevor by lighting lights in front of the house.

The songs in the film

The soundtrack for the film was composed by Thomas Newman . The table below lists other songs from the film that Newman did not compose.

title Interpreter year Scene description from the film Feature film min.
You gotta move Sam Cooke 1960 Mr. Simonet ( Spacey ) irons his shirts in his apartment 0
Rock The Party (Of The Hook) POD 1999 Trevor ( Osment ) goes to school / Adam (Donato) is bullied 4 - 5
New No doubt 1999 Trevor ( Osment ) goes to school / Adam (Donato) is bullied 4 - 5
Ooh Jimmie's Chicken Shack 2000
Mar y cielo Los Hermanos Martinez Gil 1995
Because I Got It Like That Jungle Brothers 1998
Behind Every Good Woman Tracy Bonham 2000
Win Your Love For Me Sam Cooke Mr. Simonet ( Spacey ) sorts pictures and is visited by Arlene ( Hunt ) 68-69
Last resort Papa Roach 2000 Trevor ( Osment ) listens to loud music in his room while his parents ( Hunt & Bon Jovi ) argue 91-92
Open your window Steve Earle 2000 Chris Chandler ( Mohr ) searches Las Vegas for the old homeless ( Dickinson ) 93
Happy Birthday to you sung himself Trevor ( Osment ) is celebrating his 12th birthday with family and friends 101-102
Calling All Angels Jane Siberry 1993 see plot , last paragraph 110-114
Broken Home Papa Roach 2000

Reviews

“A sensitively played goodwill story in the tradition of Frank Capra, whose noticeable good intentions are consumed between artificial figures and fuzzy milieus. Without achieving the necessary balance of realism and illusion, the plot leads to a relativizing ending full of speculative sentimentality . "

- Lexicon of International Films

“Because the dramaturgy (through setbacks leads directly to the good) in The Happiness Principle is just as unsurprising as the tranquil music by Thomas Newman or the styling by Helen Hunt, which wants to dock with Erin Brockovich at all costs , there is enough time to go over reflect on the world rescue program. On the one hand, it appeals to personal responsibility. Kevin Spacey, whose scar mask literally gives the film's intrusive gesture of dismay a face, says: “There is the possibility - in each of you!” The other side of this personal obligation is of course a comprehensive relief of all state institutions and systemic grievances . From homelessness to bad jobs, crime and broken families, everything is just a question of personal commitment: You can do it if you really want. "

- Jan Distelmeyer : epd film

“In the way of the film there is a cumbersome and sticky script that is constantly lost in artificial dialogues and even more artificial characters. Above all, the director lacks any sense of the essential balance of reality and illusion that alone could bring a story like this to life. Whenever Mimi Leder leaves the closest circle of her main characters, she comes up with the most worn and papery clichés that one can only imagine. It does not matter whether it is about the homeless or domestic violence; everything comes off the screen equally wrong and implausible. "

- Franz Everschor : Film service

The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The principle of happiness. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ Jan Distelmeyer: The principle of happiness. Mimi Leder's idea of ​​how to save the world . In: epd film . No. 4/2001 , April 2001, p. 46 .
  3. ^ Franz Everschor: The principle of happiness. Pay it forward . In: Filmdienst . No. 05/01 , May 2001, cinema, p. 20th f .