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Pay It Forward (2000)
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Pay It Forward (2000)

Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures the notion  β€¦of paying a favor not back, but forward--repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. Trevor's efforts to make good on his idea bring a revolution not only in the lives of himself, his mother and his physically and emotionally scarred teacher, but in those of an ever-widening circle of people completely unknown to him. (Read More)

Themes:
forgivenessdrug addictionalcoholism
Characters:
teacher student relationshiphomeless mansingle motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
candlelight vigilfemale slaps maleburn injurygood deedmartyrdommotivationalprotective maleprecocious childsocial injusticejunior high schoolschoolteacherkindnessexotic dancerimperative in titleteaching β€¦news reporterabusive husbandgasolinedisfigurementcharitychild's point of viewlas vegas nevadadeath of sonbirthdayface slaptitle directed by femalebased on novelinterview (See All)

Mean Creek (2004)
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Mean Creek (2004)

When Sam Merrick is beaten up by local bully George Tooney, Sam's older brother Rocky and his friends Clyde and Marty plan to pretend it's Sam's birthday to "invite" George on a boat trip in which they would dare him to strip naked, jump in the lake, and run home naked. But when Sam, his girlfriend  β€¦Millie, Rocky, and Clyde see George as not much of a bad guy, they want to call off the plan, but Marty refuses. Will the plan go ahead as planned? (Read More)

Themes:
forgiveness
Characters:
teacher student relationshipteachermother son relationship
Story:
junior high schoolbirthdayface slap

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Dead Poets Society (1989)
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Dead Poets Society (1989)

Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His roommate, Neil Perry, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their β€¦ new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each does so in his own way, and is changed for life. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacher
Story:
motivationalschoolteacherteaching

Thirteen (2003)
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Thirteen (2003)

At the edge of adolescence, Tracy is a smart straight-A student--if not a little naive (it seems...she smokes and she cuts to alleviate the emotional pain she suffers from having a broken home and hating her mom's boyfriend, Brady.) When she befriends Evie, the most popular and beautiful girl in sch β€¦ool, Evie leads Tracy down a path of sex, drugs and petty crime (like stealing money from purses and from stores). As Tracy transforms herself and her identity, her world becomes a boiling, emotional cauldron fueled by new tensions between her and her mother--as well as, teachers and old friends. (Read More)

Themes:
drug addiction
Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherteachermother son relationship
Story:
junior high schoolface slaptitle directed by female

The Karate Kid (2010) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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The Karate Kid (2010)

After his mother (Henson) accepts a job in China, preteen Dre Park (played by Jaden Smith) is forced to move to the new country. He attempts to befriend others, but loses all of them except for Mei Ying (Han), his new girlfriend, after getting attacked by a bully (Cheng). After almost being killed,  β€¦he is rescued by his maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who does much more than maintenance. When Dre is forced to fight his bully, Cheng, in the upcoming tournament; Mr. Han steps in and teaches him Kung-Fu, and now Dre has to take matters into his own hands. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherboymother son relationship
Story:
child's point of viewdeath of sonface slap

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The Karate Kid (1984)
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The Karate Kid (1984)

Daniel and his mother move from New Jersey to California. She has a wonderful new job, but Daniel quickly discovers that a dark haired Italian boy with a Jersey accent doesn't fit into the blond surfer crowd. Daniel manages to talk his way out of some fights, but he is finally cornered by several wh β€¦o belong to the same karate school. As Daniel is passing out from the beating he sees Miyagi, the elderly gardener leaps into the fray and save him by outfighting half a dozen teenagers. Miyagi and Daniel soon find out the real motivator behind the boys' violent attitude in the form of their karate teacher. Miyagi promises to teach Daniel karate and arranges a fight at the all-valley tournament some months off. When his training begins, Daniel doesn't understand what he is being shown. Miyagi seems more interested in having Daniel paint fences and wax cars than teaching him Karate. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
teachingface slap

Boyhood (2014)
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Boyhood (2014)

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, 'Richard Linklater' (qv)'s BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by 'Ellar Coltrane' (qv)), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring 'Ethan Hawke' (qv) and β€¦ 'Patricia Arquette' (qv) as Mason's parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay's Yellow to Arcade Fire's Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. (Read More)

Themes:
alcoholism
Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
abusive husbandbirthday

The Piano Teacher (2001)
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The Piano Teacher (2001)

Erika Kohut is a pianist, teaching music. Schubert and Schumann are her forte, but she's not quite at concert level. She's approaching middle age, living with her mother who is domineering then submissive; Erika is a victim then combative. With her students she is severe. She visits a sex shop to wa β€¦tch DVDs; she walks a drive-in theater to stare at couples having sex. Walter is a self-assured student with some musical talent; he auditions for her class and is forthright in his attraction to her. She responds coldly then demands he let her lead. Next she changes the game with a letter, inviting him into her fantasies. How will he respond; how does sex have power over our other faculties? (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacher
Story:
teachingdisfigurementface slapbased on novel

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Happy-go-lucky (2008) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Poppy Cross is happy-go-lucky. At 30, she lives in Camden: cheeky, playful, frank while funny, and talkative to strangers. She's a conscientious and exuberant primary-school teacher, flatmates with Zoe, her long-time friend; she's close to one sister, and not so close to another. In this slice of li β€¦fe story, we watch her take driving lessons from Scott, a dour and tightly-wound instructor, take classes in flamenco dance from a fiery Spaniard, encounter a tramp in the night, and sort out a student's aggressive behavior with a social worker's help. Along the way, we wonder if her open attitude puts her at risk of misunderstanding or worse. What is the root of happiness? (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshiphomeless manteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
teaching

Dangerous Minds (1995)
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Dangerous Minds (1995)

Louanne Johnson is an ex-marine, hired as a teacher in a high-school in a poor area of the city. She has recently separated from her husband. Her friend, also teacher in the school, got the temporary job for her. After a terrible reception from the students, she tries unconventional methods of teach β€¦ing (using karate, Bob Dylan lyrics etc) to gain the trust of the students. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacher
Story:
teaching

The Iron Giant (1999)
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The Iron Giant (1999)

This is the story of a nine-year-old boy named Hogarth Hughes who makes friends with an innocent alien giant robot that came from outer space. Meanwhile, a paranoid U.S. Government agent named Kent Mansley arrives in town, determined to destroy the giant at all costs. It's up to Hogarth to protect h β€¦im by keeping him at Dean McCoppin's place in the junkyard. (Read More)

Characters:
single motherboymother son relationship
Story:
schoolteacherchild's point of viewbased on novel

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Bridge To Terabithia (2007)
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Bridge To Terabithia (2007)

Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school, so he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences, including that she's rich, he's poor, and she's a city girl, he's a country boy, the two become fast friends. Toget β€¦her, they create Terabithia, a land of monsters, trolls, ogres, and giants and rule as king and queen. This friendship helps Jess deal with the tragedy that makes him realize what Leslie taught him. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
child's point of viewbirthdaybased on novel

Jack (1996) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Jack (1996)

The movie is about a boy with a unique aging disorder: one that makes him age 4 times faster than normal. It picks up when Jack (Robin Williams) is 10 years old, but looks 40. He tries to go to public school for the first time, and to become friends with kids his own age. His physical appearance cau β€¦ses him lots of problems, however. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
child's point of view

A Little Princess (1995)
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A Little Princess (1995)

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth. Sara's belief that "e β€¦very girl's a princess" is tested to the limit, however, when word comes that her father was killed in action and his estate has been seized by the British government. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacher
Story:
kindnesschild's point of viewbirthdaybased on novel

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Cinema Paradiso (1988)
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Cinema Paradiso (1988)

A boy who grew up in a native Sicilian Village returns home as a famous director after receiving news about the death of an old friend. Told in a flashback, Salvatore reminiscences about his childhood and his relationship with Alfredo, a projectionist at Cinema Paradiso. Under the fatherly influence β€¦ of Alfredo, Salvatore fell in love with film making, with the duo spending many hours discussing about films and Alfredo painstakingly teaching Salvatore the skills that became a stepping stone for the young boy into the world of film making. The film brings the audience through the changes in cinema and the dying trade of traditional film making, editing and screening. It also explores a young boy's dream of leaving his little town to foray into the world outside. (Read More)

Characters:
homeless manteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
teachingchild's point of view

Children Of Men (2006)
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Children Of Men (2006)

The world's youngest citizen has just died at 18, and humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set in and around a dystopian London fractious with violence and warring nationalistic sects, Children of Men follows the unexpected discovery of a lone pregnant woman and the desperate jo β€¦urney to deliver her to safety and restore faith for a future beyond those presently on Earth. (Read More)

Themes:
alcoholism
Characters:
single mothermother son relationship
Story:
kindnessdeath of sonbirthdayface slapbased on novel

About A Boy (2002) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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About A Boy (2002)

Twelve year old Marcus Brewer lives with his chronically depressed single mother, Fiona Brewer. Both Fiona and Marcus beat to their own respective drummers. Marcus will do whatever he can to make his depressed mother happy, even if it causes himself grief. As such, he realizes that he is perceived a β€¦s different than most kids, as even the self-professed weird kids don't want to hang out with him as he is the target of bullying. Part of the taunts against him are the fact that he sings and speaks to himself without even realizing that he is doing it. Meanwhile, thirty-eight year old Will Freeman is a slacker who has lived comfortably off the royalties of a song written by his deceased father, and as such has never had to work a day in his life. He is a solitary man who places himself as the first and only priority in life. He comes across the idea that dating single moms meets his selfish carnal needs. It is in this capacity that Will meets Marcus, as one of Will's single mother conquests, Suzie, is friends with the Brewers. Trying to escape his life but wanting Will to date Fiona, Marcus infiltrates Will's life, much to Will's chagrin. Will slowly begins to realize that Marcus is more than just a nuisance, but rather someone who needs some guidance navigating through the trials of adolescence and the trials of dealing with a suicidal mother, and perhaps he can be a small part of providing that direction. Conversely, Marcus may be able to show Will the path to becoming a real a… (Read More)

Characters:
single motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
charitychild's point of viewbased on novel

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The Wave (2008)
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The Wave (2008)

High school teacher, Rainer Wegner, may be popular with the students, but he's also unorthodox. He's forced to teach autocracy for the school's project week. He's less than enthusiastic at first, but the response of the students is surprising to say the least. He forces the students to become more i β€¦nvested in the prospect of self rule, and soon the class project has its own power and eerily starts to resemble Germany's past. Can Wegner and his class realize what's happening before the horrors start repeating themselves? (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
social injusticeface slapbased on novel

Children Of Heaven (1997)
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Children Of Heaven (1997)

Zahra's shoes are gone; her older brother Ali lost them. They are poor, there are no shoes for Zahra until they come up with an idea: they will share one pair of shoes, Ali's. School awaits. Will the plan succeed?

Characters:
teacher student relationshipboymother son relationship
Story:
schoolteacherchild's point of view

Never Been Kissed (1999)
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Never Been Kissed (1999)

Chicago Sun Times copy editor Josie Gellar (25), who was desperate to graduate from perfectionist copy editor to reporter, gets her chance when the goody owner orders the editor to cover the high-school scene by undercover. Josie, who was a frustrated, ridiculed nerd, gets a popular make-over from h β€¦er drop-out, naturally funny brother Rob Geller. Both siblings find love and joys of youth again. But in Josie's case, it's sensitive bachelor teacher Sam Coulson, who enjoys sophisticated conversation. As the publication deadline approaches, the price of blowing their cover seems ever more daunting, yet inevitable unless she sacrifices her career. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboy
Story:
teaching

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The Chorus (2004) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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The Chorus (2004)

Fond de l'Etang is a boarding school for troubled boys located in the French countryside. In the mid-twentieth century, it is run by the principal M. Rachin, an egotistical disciplinarian whose official unofficial mantra for the school is "action - reaction", meaning that there will be severe conseq β€¦uences for any boy out of line. This approach does not seem to be working as the boys as a collective are an unruly bunch. In turn, the teachers don't teach, but are always watching out for the next subversive act from the boys. January 15, 1949 marks the arrival to the school of the new supervisor, M. Clement Mathieu, a middle-aged man who is grasping at finding his place in life after a series of failed endeavors. Although he does find the boys an unruly lot, Mathieu does not believe in the "action - reaction" policy, and as such, butts heads with Rachin while secretly undermining the policy. Slowly, Mathieu's approach of trying to match the discipline to the crime does have a positive effect on a handful of students. With the reluctant approval of Rachin, Mathieu begins a grander experiment of trying to transform the overall atmosphere within the school, core within the experiment being to start a choir among his students. This move is a difficult one for him as a failed musician, as well as for the initially reluctant students. During this process, Mathieu focuses on two different students for two different reasons. Pepinot, a younger boy, seems to lack guidance and focus, and … (Read More)

Themes:
forgiveness
Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
face slap

Lat Den Ratte Komma In (2008)
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Lat Den Ratte Komma In (2008)

Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl. She can't stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back but when he realizes that Eli needs to drink other people's blood to live he's faced  β€¦with a choice. How much can love forgive? Set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982. (Read More)

Characters:
single motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
imperative in titlegasolinechild's point of viewbased on novel

The Village (2004)
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The Village (2004)

M Night Shyamalan's The Villiage revolves around a desolate town in Pennsylvania. The residents of this town live by strict rules - They are not to leave the village or the monsters beyond their boundaries will surely attack them. Lucius and Ivy have an attraction - a strong one. But when Noah - a m β€¦an with an intellectual disability and whom also has feelings for Ivy, finds out that the two are In love, Noah attacks Lucius. He will die if brave Ivy (who is blind) does not breach the borders and find help to save Lucius. (Read More)

Characters:
single motherteachermother son relationship
Story:
female slaps maledeath of sonface slap

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Billy Elliot (2000)
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Billy Elliot (2000)

County Durham, during the endless, violent 1984 strike against the Thatcher closure of British coal mines. Widower Jackie Elliot and his firstborn, fellow miner Tony, take a dim view of 11 year-old second son Billy's poor record in boxing class, which worsens when they discover he sneakily transferr β€¦ed to the neighboring, otherwise girls-only-attended ballet class. Only one schoolmate, closet-gay Michael Caffrey, encourages Billy's desire, aroused by the teacher, who judged him talented enough for private lesson, to train and try out for the world-renowned Royal Ballet audition. Only the prospect of a fancy career unimagined in the pauper quarter may twist pa and big brother's opposition to indispensable support. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteachermother son relationship
Story:
teachingchild's point of viewface slap

Election (1999) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Election (1999)

Tracy Flick is running unopposed for this year's high school student election. But school civics teacher Jim McAllister has a different plan. Partly to establish a more democratic election, and partly to satisfy some deep personal anger toward Tracy, Jim talks popular varsity football player Paul Me β€¦tzler to run for president as well. Chaos ensues. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteachermother son relationship
Story:
teachingbased on novel

Boy A (2007)
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Boy A (2007)

A young man is released from prison after many years and given a new identity in a new town. Aided by a supervisor who becomes like a father to him he finds a job and friends and hesitantly starts a relationship with a compassionate girl. But the secret of the heinous crime he committed as a boy wei β€¦ghs down on him, and he learns that it is not so easy to escape your past. (Read More)

Themes:
forgiveness
Characters:
teacherboymother son relationship
Story:
birthdayface slapbased on novel

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Warrior (2011)
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Warrior (2011)

Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime - and the wreckage of their broken family - within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting in Lionsgate's action/drama, WARRIOR. A former Marine, haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enl β€¦ists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan's unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives. (Read More)

Themes:
forgivenessdrug addiction
Characters:
teacher
Story:
protective male

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
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My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Toula Portokalos is 30, Greek, and works in her family's restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, in Chicago. All her father Gus wants is for her to get married to a nice Greek boy. But Toula is looking for more in life. Her mother convinces Gus to let her take some computer classes at college (making him think β€¦ it's his idea). With those classes under her belt, she then takes over her aunt's travel agency (again making her father think it's his idea). She meets Ian Miller, a high school English teacher, WASP, and dreamboat she had made a fool of herself over at the restaurant; they date secretly for a while before her family finds out. Her father is livid over her dating a non-Greek. He has to learn to accept Ian; Ian has to learn to accept Toula's huge family, and Toula has to learn to accept herself. (Read More)

Characters:
teacherboymother son relationship
Story:
protective maleschoolteacher

In The Bedroom (2001) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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In The Bedroom (2001)

In idyllic Mid-Coast Maine, the Fowler family's only son Frank comes home from his freshman year at college for summer vacation. His mother Ruth, the school choir director, is unhappy with Frank dating soon-to-be divorced mother Natalie who is several years his senior, but Frank's father Matt, the t β€¦own doctor, doesn't see a problem. While Frank considers holding off his future for Natalie, her jilted husband causes them all problems until an unthinkable tragedy shakes the community to its very core. (Read More)

Characters:
single mothermother son relationship
Story:
abusive husbanddeath of sonface slap

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Sideways (2004)
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Sideways (2004)

A week before his friend Jack is to be married, best man Miles and the prospective groom head off to wine country for a week of fun, relaxation and - of course - wine drinking. Miles is the oenophile and does his best to teach Jack a bit about the art of appreciating great wine. All Jack cares about β€¦ is drinking and carousing, something he accomplishes when he meets the attractive Stephanie at one of the vineyards. Miles is something of a sad sack, a high school English teacher who is a failed writer at heart. He has yet to get over the fact that his wife has divorced him and that she has remarried and he now faces that nerve racking wait for word from a prospective publisher. Miles has an opportunity to start anew when he meets Stephanie's friend Maya but when he let's slip that Jack is about to be married any hope of a relationship seems to be lost. (Read More)

Characters:
single motherteachermother son relationship
Story:
junior high schoolbirthdaybased on novel

Rope (1948)
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Rope (1948)

Brandon and Philip are two young men who share a New York apartment. They consider themselves intellectually superior to their friend David Kentley and as a consequence decide to murder him. Together they strangle David with a rope and placing the body in an old chest, they proceed to hold a small p β€¦arty. The guests include David's father, his fiancee Janet and their old schoolteacher Rupert from whom they mistakenly took their ideas. As Brandon becomes increasingly more daring, Rupert begins to suspect. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteachermother son relationship
Story:
schoolteacherface slap

All About My Mother (1999)
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All About My Mother (1999)

Manuela is a hard-working single mom who has raised her son Esteban by herself since the time he was born. On his 17th birthday they go to the theater and after the show, Esteban tries to get the main actress' autograph but is run down on the street and dies. Manuela is beside herself with grief and β€¦ decides to return to Barcelona to tell the boy's transgender father Lola, about the death of the son he never knew he had. He is nowhere to be found but Manuela does find an old friend, Agrado and meets up with a pregnant nun, Rosa. Together they form a life and become fast friends - until tragedy strikes again. (Read More)

Themes:
drug addiction
Characters:
single mothermother son relationship
Story:
death of sonbirthday

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The Secret Garden (1993) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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The Secret Garden (1993)

Living in India, Mary Lennox, a young, privileged girl, is left orphaned when her parents are killed in an earthquake. She is sent back to England where she goes to live on her uncle's estate. It is a fairly isolated existence and she has to find things to keep herself occupied. She finds a sickly y β€¦oung boy...and a secret garden. (Read More)

Characters:
boy
Story:
child's point of viewface slaptitle directed by femalebased on novel

Never Let Me Go (2010)
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Never Let Me Go (2010)

As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits t β€¦hem. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboy
Story:
imperative in titlebased on novel

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
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Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

Glenn Holland is a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while, in his 'spare time', he can strive to achieve his true goal - compose one memorable piece of music to leave his mark on the world. As Holland discovers 'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other β€¦ plans' and as the years unfold the joy of sharing his contagious passion for music with his students becomes his new definition of success. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacher
Story:
teaching

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The Dressmaker (2015)
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The Dressmaker (2015)

Based on Rosalie Ham's best selling novel, The Dressmaker is the story of femme fatale Tilly Dunnage who returns to her small home town in the country to right the wrongs of the past. A stylish drama with comic undertones about love, revenge and haute couture.

Characters:
boymother son relationship
Story:
gasolinedeath of sonface slaptitle directed by femalebased on novel

Let Me In (2010) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Let Me In (2010)

In Los Alamos, New Mexico, the twelve year-old Owen is a lonely and outcast boy bullied in school by Kenny and two other classmates; at home, Owen dreams of avenging himself against the trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve-year-old next door neighbor, Abby, who only appears during the night in t β€¦he playground of their building. Meanwhile, Abby's father is a wanted serial-killer who drains the blood of his victims to supply Abby, who is actually an ancient vampire. Abby advises Owen to fight Kenny; however, soon he discovers that she is a vampire, and he feels fear and love for the girl. Meanwhile a police officer is investigating the murder cases, believing that it is a satanic cult. (Read More)

Characters:
teacherboy
Story:
junior high schoolchild's point of viewbased on novel

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

A troubled young boy, Oskar, is trying to cope with the loss of his father. Oskar starts lashing out at his mother and the world. Until a year later, he discovers a mysterious key in his father's belongings and embarks on a scavenger hunt to find the matching lock, just as he used to when his father β€¦ was alive. On this journey he is bound to meet a lot of people and learn a lot about himself and his family, but will he ever find the lock? (Read More)

Characters:
single motherboymother son relationship
Story:
child's point of viewbased on novel

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The Squid And The Whale (2005)
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The Squid And The Whale (2005)

In 1986, In Brooklyn, New York, the dysfunctional family of pseudo intellectuals composed by the university professor Bernard and the prominent writer Joan split. Bernard is a selfish, cheap and jealous decadent writer that rationalizes every attitude in his family and life and does not accept "phil β€¦istines" - people that do not read books or watch movies, while the unfaithful Joan is growing as a writer and has no problems with "philistines". Their sons, the teenager Walt and the boy Frank, feel the separation and take side: Walt stays with Bernard, and Frank with Joan, and both are affected with abnormal behaviors. Frank drinks booze and smears with sperm the books in the library and a locker in the dress room of his school. The messed-up and insecure Walt uses Roger Water's song "Hey You" in a festival as if it was of his own, and breaks up with his girlfriend Sophie. Meanwhile Joan has an affair with Frank's tennis teacher Ivan and Bernard with his student Lili. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
junior high schoolface slap

Cell (2016)
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Cell (2016)

When a strange signal pulsates through all cell phone networks worldwide, it starts a murderous epidemic of epic proportions when users become bloodthirsty creatures, and a group of people in New England are among the survivors to deal with the ensuing chaos after.

Characters:
teacher student relationshipteachermother son relationship
Story:
gasolinedisfigurementbased on novel

Into The Wild (2007) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Into The Wild (2007)

Based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University, Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire savings account to charity, and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.

Themes:
forgiveness
Characters:
mother son relationship
Story:
motivationalcharitydeath of sonface slap

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Precious (2009)
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Precious (2009)

In Harlem, 1987. Sixteen year old Claireece Jones - who goes by her middle name Precious - is an illiterate, overweight black girl. She is pregnant with her second child, both children fathered by her biological father, who has continually raped her since she was a child, but who she doesn't see oth β€¦erwise. Her infant daughter, Mongo - such named since she has Down Syndrome - lives with Precious' grandmother. Precious lives with her mother Mary, who abuses Precious both physically and emotionally. Mary does nothing but smoke, watch television and collect welfare through fraud (as she doesn't ever look for a job) and believes that education does nothing for Precious, who she would rather also collect welfare if only to bring money into the household. To escape her life, Precious often daydreams of herself in glamorous situations. Because of her current pregnancy, Precious' principal transfers her into an alternative school. In dealing with the school's sympathetic teacher Miss Blu Rain, Precious begins to believe that she can have a future by learning how to read and write. Despite some devastating news from her mother following the birth of her child, Precious also begins to believe she can escape the grips of her abusive mother, who, up to this point, was Precious' only real support. (Read More)

Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherteachermother son relationship
Story:
face slapbased on novel

Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
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Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

A family. Rose and Norah, in Albuquerque, lost their mother when they were young. Rose is responsible - a housecleaner, raising her seven-year-old son Oscar. She's also having an affair with Mac, a married cop, her high-school sweetheart. Norah can't hold a job. Their dad, Joe, is quirky. When Oscar β€¦ is expelled for odd behavior, Rose wants to earn enough to send him to private school. Mac suggests she clean up after crime scenes, suicides, and deaths that go undiscovered for awhile. Rose enlists Norah, and Sunshine Cleaners is born. Norah bonds with the dead, Rose finds out that it's a regulated business, and complications arise. Can a family marked by tragedy sort things out? (Read More)

Characters:
single motherteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
precocious childbirthdaytitle directed by female

The Spectacular Now (2013)
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The Spectacular Now (2013)

Sutter Keely lives in the now. It's a good place for him. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he's the life of the party, loves his job at a men's clothing store, and has no plans for the future. A budding alcoholic, he's never far from his supersized, whiskey-fortified thirst-master  β€¦cup. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finecky hovering over him. She's different: the "nice girl" who reads science fiction and doesn't have a boyfriend. While Aimee has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they're drawn together. (Read More)

Themes:
alcoholism
Characters:
teacher student relationshipsingle motherteachermother son relationship
Story:
based on novel

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Uptown Girls (2003) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Uptown Girls (2003)

Molly Gunn, the freewheeling daughter of a deceased rock legend, is forced to get a job when her manager steals her money. As nanny for precocious Ray, the oft ignored daughter of a music executive, she learns what it means to be an adult while teaching Ray how to be a child.

Story:
precocious childteachingbirthdayface slap

Farewell My Concubine (1993)
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Farewell My Concubine (1993)

"Farewell, My Concubine" is a movie with two parallel, intertwined stories. It is the story of two performers in the Beijing Opera, stage brothers, and the woman who comes between them. At the same time, it attempts to do no less than squeeze the entire political history of China in the twentieth ce β€¦ntury into a three-hour time-frame. (Read More)

Themes:
drug addiction
Characters:
teacher student relationshipteacherboymother son relationship
Story:
based on novel

21 Grams (2003)
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21 Grams (2003)

This is the story of three well-meaning but flawed people: Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English emigre; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife, happily married homemaker with two young daughters, with hiding a secret past; and Jack Jordan, an ex-con β€¦vict who has found in his Christian faith the strength to live a law-abiding life and raise a family. They will be brought together by a terrible accident that will change their lives. By the final frame, none of them will be the same as they will have learnt harsh truths about love, faith, courage, desire and guilt, and how chance can change our worlds irretrievably, forever. (Read More)

Themes:
drug addictionalcoholism
Characters:
teacherboymother son relationship
Story:
birthdayface slap

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Flipped (2010)
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Flipped (2010)

Juli Baker devoutly believes in three things: the sanctity of trees (especially her beloved sycamore), the wholesomeness of the eggs she collects from her backyard flock of chickens, and that someday she will kiss Bryce Loski. Ever since she saw Bryce's dazzling brown eyes back in second grade, Juli β€¦ has been smitten. Unfortunately, Bryce has never felt the same. Frankly, he thinks Juli Baker is a little weird--after all, what kind of freak raises chickens and sits in trees for fun? Then, in eighth grade, everything changes. Bryce begins to see that Juli's unusual interests and pride in her family are, well, kind of cool. And Juli starts to think that maybe Bryce's dazzling brown eyes are as empty as the rest of Bryce seems to be. After all, what kind of jerk doesn't care about other people's feelings about chickens and trees? With Flipped, mystery author Wendelin Van Draanen has taken a break from her Sammy Keyes series, and the result is flipping fantastic. Bryce and Juli's rants and raves about each other ring so true that teen readers will quickly identify with at least one of these hilarious feuding egos, if not both. A perfect introduction to the adolescent war between the sexes. (Read More)

Characters:
teacherboymother son relationship
Story:
junior high schoolchild's point of viewface slapbased on novel

Chocolat (2000) is one of the best movies like Pay It Forward (2000)
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Chocolat (2000)

When a single mother and her six-year-old daughter move to rural France and open a chocolate shop - with Sunday hours - across the street from the local church, they are met with some skepticism. But as soon as they coax the townspeople into enjoying their delicious products, they are warmly welcome β€¦d. (Read More)

Characters:
single motherboymother son relationship
Story:
abusive husbandbased on novel

Tyrannosaur (2011)
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Tyrannosaur (2011)

The story of Joseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As Joseph's life spirals into turmoil, a chance at redemption appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker. Their relationship develops to reveal that Hannah is hiding a secret of her β€¦ own with devastating consequences to both of their lives. (Read More)

Characters:
single motherboy
Story:
abusive husbandcharity

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