First of all, let me say I am not challenging your idea for the ending. I just want to throw out a perspective nobody has mentioned. The ending you propose would make this story a much better feel good movie but I do not see this movie as a feel good story. For me, the movie is about the rewards and dangerous that occur when opening one self to others. A huge clue to this is when Trevor suggests the idea for pay it forward and his classmates and they challenge it because it is too "utopian". Twelve year old school kids challenging such a simple idea, was a clue that something deeper was going on.
Look at the way that people paid it forward: his grandmother helps a thief not go to jail. I am sure that the store owner, police, and almost everyone ever affected by a theft would argue against her deed being a "good act". However, it turn's into a positive when the man gives up his "place in line" at the ER (although the scenario is complete B.S.). Trevor doesn't even realize that he is succeding, he crosses out everyone name he tries to help because he thinks he has failed.
Look at the sub plot with Trevor's mother and teacher. Mr. Simonette tried to stand up to protect his mother from a violent father and gets repaid by his father setting him on fire. You can argue the point that he is so hesitant to pursue a relationship with Arlene because he is afraid she will reject him because of his burns but I think it goes much deeper. Look at the similarities between Arlene and his own mother, women involved with abusive men. Like his own mother, Arlene welcomes back her abuser, Trevor's father, without question. Eugene had to feel some level of betrayal, that is the reason he left so quickly, he already demonstrated that he wasn't afraid of physical conflict at the bus station. Life has taught him that you cannot help someone who doesn't want to help themselves, he has the scars to prove it. You could say that Simonette is an adult Trevor, if he had lived.
In real life when you help people, you open yourself up for pain. There is a reason that paramedics, firefighters and police have such high rates of substance abuse and suicide. Trevor felt like he betrayed his friend by not helping him at the dumpster and felt honor bound to help him at the lockers. He went to help his friend even though or because he new his friend was in danger. It is no coincidence that his actions and death, foreshadow those of the responders in 9/11/01 by over a year, they are the timeless actions of a hero.
I am not saying the ending is perfect. I think if Trevor would have been accidentally killed by running out in front of the reporter‘s car while performing some kind of heroic act, would have had deeper implications. The reporter wouldn't have been there if Trevor's hadn't started paying it forward. However, I am not a novelist or have ever written anything that inspired a film. Yes, everyone would have felt much better if Trevor had lived but that is a Hollywood ending. I don't think you can fault this ending because whatever it is or isn't, it's honest.
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15 years ago
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josborn828
13 years ago
ER stands for Emergency Room, I think they call it "casualty" in Britain. Odd term since 99.999% of Emergency Rooms are actually departments taking up a large portion of a ground floor at most hospitals. Strangely, the only hospital I have seen go out of it's way to have their ER called an ED, was a small hospital that had one big emergency room with 4 beds surrounded by curtains. Healthcare's version of "Short Man Syndrome"?
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