The Giver: Movie Review

It has taken Jeff Bridges 18 years to bring Lois Lowry’s acclaimed novel “The Giver” to the big screen. Having sold over 10 million copies, I am surprised it took this long. I have never read the novel but I know that it is loved by many and also required reading in some schools. Unfortunately, director Phillip Noyce has delivered a film as hollow and lifeless as the world the story takes place in. “The Giver” has its’ moments but for the most part, it is just dull.

The story centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), who lives in a world of conformity, without the distractions of color or love. Like all the other children, he does not have a family or parents, he has a unit. He does not have a home, rather a dwelling. There is no violence, crime, or envy in this world, just contentment. Things begin to change for Jonas when he is selected to become a Giver. The Giver is a single person who holds the history of the human race in his/her mind, and uses it to advise the elders when needed. The Giver knows things that nobody else does. Jeff Bridges is the elder Giver and has the task of training the young Jonas to take over his job.

As Jonas experiences human history through his sessions with the Giver, he begins to realize that there is something seriously wrong with the world he has grown up in. He also begins to feel love for his childhood friend Fiona (Odeya Rush). When Jonas realizes that the youngest member of his family unit is about to be released (which means put to sleep) because it cries too much, he takes it upon himself to save the infant. He also figures out a way to open up the eyes and hearts of the people.

“The Giver” has a strong cast, but because the characters are so one-note, most of them feel wasted, even Streep barely registers. Bridges is good, but even Cameron Monaghan who plays Jonas’ best friend Asher is pretty flat, and he is supposed to be the goofball. One thing I did like about “The Giver” is that a large chunk of it is in black and white, and as Jonas beings to take in more from his training, the more color begins to appear on screen.

I am not sure how closely the film follows the book, so I can’t tell you if those who loved the book will love the movie or will be seriously disappointed with it. I will tell you that “The Giver’ was something I wish I could have given back.

By: Marc Ferman