“The Giver” is set in a seemingly perfect society where everyone lives in harmony and there is no pain or suffering. The society is ruled by the Chief Elder (Meryl Streep) who assigns each person a job based on their abilities. When Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) turns 18, he is assigned the job of “Receiver of Memory” and is mentored by the previous Receiver (Jeff Bridges).
As Jonas begins to receive memories of the past, he realizes that the perfect society he lives in is not as perfect as it seems. He discovers that the society has eliminated emotions, history, and individuality in order to maintain peace and order. Jonas must decide whether to continue living in the controlled society or risk everything to bring back the memories of the past.
Review:
“The Giver” is a faithful adaptation of the classic novel by Lois Lowry, but it lacks the emotional depth and complexity of the book. The movie is visually stunning, with beautiful cinematography and special effects, but it fails to capture the nuances of the novel’s characters and themes.
Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep give solid performances, but the rest of the cast is forgettable. The movie’s pacing is slow at times, and it feels rushed in other parts. Overall, “The Giver” is a decent movie that may appeal to fans of the book, but it falls short of being a great adaptation.
Awards:
“The Giver” did not receive any major award nominations.
| Directed by | Phillip Noyce |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Nikki Silver Jeff Bridges Neil Koenigsberg |
| Written by | Michael Mitnick Robert B. Weide |
| Based on | The Giver by Lois Lowry |
| Starring | Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Cameron Monaghan, Odeya Rush, Emma Tremblay, |
| Music by | Marco Beltrami |
| Cinematography | Ross Emery |
| Edited by | Barry Alexander Brown |
| Production company |
Walden Media |
| Distributed by | The Weinstein Company |
| Release date | August 11, 2014 (Ziegfeld Theatre) August 15, 2014 (United States) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $67 million |