Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #721
Written 12/9/00, Revised 7/8/08
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Buy it... only if you enjoyed Thomas Newman's distinctly unusual
rhythmic sound for both American Beauty and Erin
Brockovich.
Avoid it... if you are strictly a collector of the composer's
robust orchestral works.
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| Newman |
Pay It Forward: (Thomas Newman) Aspirations of
numerous Academy Award nominations were initially expected out of Pay
It Forward, but a mixed response from critics and tepid showing at
the box office killed those chances. Director Mimi Leder matured from
her association with Dreamworks and Steven Spielberg for this project, a
film significantly smaller in scope than her only previous two feature
credits. Its story was an answer to the many negative films about
American suburbia popular at the time, using optimism and goodness as
means of reinventing that suburbia into something that people could
leave the theatre and still dream about. An all-star cast could not help
keep those audiences interested, however, with the idea of spreading
goodwill to those around you obviously not as interesting as displays of
the worst of society. Composer Thomas Newman's involvement in Pay It
Forward is interesting on many levels, for the score he provides for
the film is the polar opposite to the work of James Horner and Hans
Zimmer for Leder's previous movies. Newman was in a period in his career
in 1999 and 2000 when he had abandoned his orchestral sounds of the
previous decade and was exploring a highly percussive, unusual technique
of relying upon rhythms to create an ambience one step above his sound
design work. The most popular of these works was the first of the era,
American Beauty, which addressed a disjointed and dark view of
American lifestyles with an appropriately bizarre and eccentric
approach. In regards to Pay It Forward, though, one famous film
reviewer stated, "Call it the anti-American Beauty." So with
Newman defining the contemporary urban character drama of unsavory sorts
with the awkward sound in American Beauty and, with less success,
Erin Brockovich, how would he turn around and score the same
genre's brightest alternative? He did so with exactly the identical
sound. And thus, the real problems with Newman's "rhythmic texture"
scores began to emerge. It didn't seem to matter what the demeanor of
each film was, Newman was in a distinct and unyielding phase of
experimentation that was lathered on with a saturated brush regardless
of its effectiveness.
Veteran collectors of Newman's scores were conflicted
about the events of 1999 and 2000. Newman had shown these leanings
before, but the fact these three scores in a row suffer from precisely
the same consistency problems is what raised eyebrows. Sure, the sound
gained the composer a new group of fans, but it's no coincidence that
Newman's subsequent Oscar nominations came after his return to his more
robust orchestral style. Once again, fans of only Newman's orchestral
works need not read any further. If you heard
Erin Brockovich,
then you'll find very little technically new with
Pay It Forward.
Newman credits an ensemble of eclectic instruments that includes tubes,
a saz, and an assortment of things that are so rare that he may be among
the first to ever use them in a film score. The piano is once again the
emotional heart of the work, driving both the quirky rhythmic passages
and the slow character-building ambience. Thumping bass region effects
are aplenty. The structure of the rhythms carries over. Several cues of
sound effects do indeed indicate a sound design intent in parts. Some of
the overlap in the effects and rhythms is nearly intolerable; the
almost-comical toilet plunging sounds in "Cereal Burn" cross the line. A
few other insufferable moments are countered this time, however, by a
few deviations of delicate, harmonious string section development. The
rhythmic theme itself, snazzy as always, appears in "Possibility,"
"Tardiness," and "Desert Drive," but the more tender and listenable
portions of the score come with the sparse, but heartfelt melodic
exploration highlighted in the lengthy "Sleepover." Unfortunately,
consistency is once again the problem, and the album for
Pay It
Forward is an impossible experience. Unless the rhythms are in
progress, then you'll either be confronted by the barely warm string
performances or the blasting and droning of the "creative" cues. As
before, the cues are almost all quite short, so the mood shifts
frequently. The opening track on album features the sounds of kids
yelling on a playground, and that mixing sets the tone for the rest of
the album. The inclusion of the Jane Siberry song at the end only
extends the disorienting and confusing changes of pace, ultimately
yielding a frustrating album.
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Bias Check:
For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.14
(in 37 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.18
(in 60,837 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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