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Co-Produced by:
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Bill Bernstein
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Orchestrated by:
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Thomas Pasatieri
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Release Date:
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November 7th, 2000
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Pay It Forward: (Thomas Newman) Well, it's a trend. Fans of Thomas
Newman's traditionally rich scores of the 1990's were left scratching their
heads when American Beauty hit the screens and the "new" style of Thomas
Newman was born. And then, to confirm all suspicions that Newman was indeed
heading down a new path, Erin Brockovich came out and served as a sort of
reprise of American Beauty. And, if you need even more confirmation that
Newman's career is stuck in the same rut, all you need to do is catch a few
minutes of Pay It Forward. Newman's choice of scoring comedies and light
dramas, rather than the heavier dramas that made his name over the past ten
years, is a normal transition to make. But the difference in the styles of music
is what is shocking Newman's previous collection of fans. I was one of them, and
after listening to the utterly bizarre score for Pay It Forward, I'm
afraid that the transition may be permanent.
It would seem that Newman has become the resident expert on the low-budget use
of exotic instrumentation. His long-time orchestrator, Thomas Pasatieri, no
longer coordinates a full orchestra, but rather a hectic and constantly evolving
collection of percussion. The use of such percussion, along with his synthetic
elements, to create a bittersweet, rambling theme for American Beauty,
was strangely effective. In Erin Brockovich, it was moderately confusing,
but still functional. For Pay It Forward, it makes no sense at all. For a
small handful of sensitive moments, Newman introduces the touching sound of a
small orchestra. But inevitably, the mood is disrupted by the haorse clanging,
banging, and grinding of electronic keyboarding mixed to extremes and
non-Western percussion that is usually reserved for films of, well, a more
international nature. Even if barely serviceable in the film, the album is
shattered by these outburst of pure, unmelodic noise. The lack of consistency in
Newman's music is manifested in a different combination of percussive elements
in each track, and it is because of this disorienting and confusing change of
pace after every other track that the album becomes frustrating. Every time
Newman establishes one motif or rhythm (such as the kind of hip opening), and
allows it to mature, an entirely different, foreign set of instrumentation
blasts onto the scene and displaces the previous mood.
A person can only take so much of this before giving up on it. I have just about
reached that point. I applaud composers who endeavor to be creative and produce
a score like none other. But Thomas Newman is just getting totally wacky on us.
The film Pay It Forward failed miserably in the theatres, receiving harsh
criticism for its inconsistencies. Surely, one of the detriments is the score.
On album, it is a difficult listen. The orchestral moments of reflection and
heart are battered by the lengthy cues of "personality." The opening track
features the sounds of kids yelling on a playground, and that somewhat sets the
tone for the rest of the album. It finishes with a song by Jane Siberry which,
like the score, never really takes flight in its beat. Perhaps this is just
Thomas Newman's method of producing cost-effective scores for films that have
cut corners on their post-production elements. But that just can't excuse the
toilet-plunging sounds in the fourth track of Pay It Forward. There are
ways to be creative with a small ensemble performing on synthesizers and
percussion, and unfortunately, the method heard here just isn't working. *
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Possibility (2:33)
• 2. Car Trouble (1:07)
• 3. Washer Vodka (1:52)
• 4. Cereal Bum (1:03)
• 5. Come Out Jerry (1:09)
• 6. Fixture Vodka (1:36)
• 7. Rat Bastard (0:56)
• 8. One Kiss (1:47)
• 9. Tardiness (2:11)
• 10. In Recovery (1:02)
• 11. Jaguar (1:04)
• 12. Dumpster (1:11)
• 13. Sleepover (4:33)
• 14. Cosmic Aristotle (1:55)
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• 15. Euphemism (1:05)
• 16. Homeless (1:00)
• 17. Pay It Forward (1:05)
• 18. Night and Day and Night (1:09)
• 19. Asthma (0:58)
• 20. Powers of Three (1:03)
• 21. Desert Drive (1:34)
• 22. Wasted Air (1:42)
• 23. The Bad Thing (0:50)
• 24. Gasoline (1:39)
• 25. Velocity Organ (1:27)
• 26. I Forgive You (2:26)
• 27. Calling All Angels - Jane Siberry (5:32)
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The insert includes extensive credits, but no extra information about the score.
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