Claim: Helen Hunt acts in films.

Pay It Forward is a 2000 American drama-romance film based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde . The film is set in Las Vegas in the present day , and it chronicles 12-year-old Trevor McKinney 's launch of a goodwill movement known as ` pay it forward ' . Directed by Mimi Leder and written by Leslie Dixon , the film stars Haley Joel Osment as Trevor , Helen Hunt as his alcoholic single mother Arlene McKinney , and Kevin Spacey as his physically and emotionally scarred social studies teacher Eugene Simonet .   Pay It Forward was released on October 20 , 2000 to mixed reviews , with most critics praising the acting , writing , music and cinematography but criticizing the story and accusing it of excessive emotional manipulation , particularly in its ending . The film was a moderate box office success , earning just over $ 55.7 million on a $ 40 million budget .