Has the sad spiral of Britney Spears left a bad taste in your mouth? Then how about a palate-cleansing tale of a onetime bad boy playing Good Samaritan?

Colin Farrell, the former "Lusty Leprechaun" whose party-fueled lifestyle landed him in rehab in late 2005, practiced a not-so-random act of kindness while stumping for the Woody Allen-directed flick "Cassandra's Dream" this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Toronto Sun reports the scruffy star was signing autographs outside his hotel when he spotted a homeless gent he'd met three years ago, when he was in town filming "A Home at the End of the World."

Turns out Farrell had taken advantage of a radio promotion offering $2,000 to anyone who could deliver him to the station, collaring the guy -- nicknamed Stress by locals -- and helping him claim the bounty.

The paper says his Irish eyes were a-twinkle at the reunion, and he urged his down-and-out acquaintance to climb into his chauffeur-driven car.

Then, in a Bizarro version of the makeover montage from "Pretty Woman," Colin accompanied Stress to a Europe Bound Travel Outfitters outpost, which sells everything from clothes to tents.

"Get him anything he wants," Farrell reportedly told the employees, who fetched his new pal a $500 coat, a high-end sleeping bag and a rolling backpack filled with underwear, socks and boots, all useful for the coming Toronto winter.

"Cool guy," the store's manager tells the Sun of the actor. "He doesn't act like a movie star."

According to the staffer, Colin had an easy rapport with Stress, who was "going around, grabbing stuff."

The bill for the philanthropic shopping trip came to more than $2,000, but Farrell's beneficence didn't end there.

He also hit a nearby cash machine, withdrawing a stack of bills and reportedly arranged to pay for a year's rent on a room for what we're now guessing is his biggest fan.

"I'm all set up," Stress is quoted as telling a local. "This is my chance to get off the street."

The paper estimates that Farrell's generosity set him back around $10,000.

Next: Quickies: 'Big-Headed' Britney, 'Positive' Lindsay