From adaptations of classic tales, such as a perennial favourite by Charles Dickens, to inspired-by-real-life stories, there have been several movies made surrounding acts of giving.
In some cases, the protagonists are unlikeable at the start, such as Bill Murray’s acerbic weather reporter in Groundhog Day and Jim Carrey’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, but circumstances lead them to consider turning their lives around.
In others, such as the films It Could Happen to You and Calendar Girls, art imitates life, as both movies centre on the kindness and generosity of ordinary people, with scripts that were based on real-life inspirations.
Last, but not least, a film like Pay It Forward champions not simply the virtue of charity but a social movement – to help others and not expect reward – and to ask people to forgo paying favours back and instead to pay them forward, many times over.
Calendar Girls
Out now, Disney+
Stars: Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, John Alderton
A group of close-knit middle-aged women encounter adversity when one of the women’s husbands (Alderton) is diagnosed with terminal leukemia. As she consoles her friend Annie (Walters), Chris (Mirren) hits upon the novel idea of raising funds for charity – the women would do a nude calendar, one where their modesty is preserved by everyday objects. After initial resistance, the calendar is a hit, and a newfound celebrity tests the friendships of all involved.
A Christmas Carol
Out now, Disney+
Stars: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth
In this computer-animated retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, Jim Carrey is the voice of the cantankerous and miserly protagonist, Scrooge, who receives a series of unexpected visitations on Christmas Eve. As the story goes, Scrooge, a miserable old man who’s cruel to others, is visited by his dead business partner, followed by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come, and forced to re-examine the purpose of his life.
Groundhog Day
Out now, Apple TV
Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
A callous big-city weatherman, Phil (Murray), goes to an annual Groundhog Day event in a small town, accompanied by his producer Rita (MacDowell) and cameraman Larry (Elliott). When he wakes up to leave the next day, he realises he’s stuck in a time loop – and forced to relive the same day, over and over again. Caught in this predicament, he ponders his “immortality”, explores the mischief he can get up to, then decides to better himself, one day at a time.
It Could Happen To You
Out now, Apple TV
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez
A mild-mannered police officer (Cage) finds himself short of cash at a restaurant and is embarrassed to be unable to give the waitress (Fonda) a tip. Remembering a lottery ticket he had bought, he promises to split the potential millions in winnings with her, or to return with her rightful tip, the next day. As fate would have it, he actually does win the lottery and becomes an overnight sensation by keeping his promise. His wife (Perez), however, is not amused.
Pay It Forward
Out now, Google Play Movies
Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt
An 11-year-old student named Trevor (Osment) is given a school assignment by his social studies teacher (Spacey) to earn extra credit beyond the classroom, by helping the “world out there”. Trevor hatches a plan to do a meaningful favour for three other people, without compensation, and to ask them to “pay it forward” by each helping three more people. One of his first acts of kindness is to invite a homeless man into his house, without first informing his mother (Hunt).
