THE GIVER (PG-13)
Released by The Weinstein Company
Review by Adam Mast
One might be quick to dismiss THE GIVER as a HUNGER GAMES/DIVERGENT ripoff, but the book on which this movie is based predates those popular stories by over a decade. As a film, THE GIVER also appears to have influenced the likes of THE VILLAGE, THE ISLAND, THE TRUMAN SHOW, and PLEASANTVILLE as there are quite a few notable similarities. In the end, it’s a shame that it took co-star Jeff Bridges this long to get THE GIVER to the big screen (it’s been a passion project of his for several years), because by this point, some contemporary audiences might find the subject matter a little routine.
THE GIVER is set in a futuristic utopian society, where peace reins supreme and deep-rooted emotions are suppressed by way of daily injections given to community residents. Young Jonas (well played by Brenton Thwaites) is given a taste of the real world, however, through the power of a wise mystic known as THE GIVER (Bridges). Shortly thereafter, Jonas stops taking his daily injections and begins experiencing a wide range of powerful emotions he had previously been numb to. Might Jonas be a wake-up call to a community that has forgotten what it’s like to truly live? There lies the question at the heart of THE GIVER.
In terms of the cast, Thwaites is clearly the standout. This young actor does a good job of conveying the thrill that comes with experiencing specific emotions for the first time, and he capably carries this film on his shoulders. Bridges puts forth a valiant effort as the title character, but for my money, he needed more screen time. The usually dependable Meryl Streep appears to be on cruise control here. I had hoped that a performer of her caliber would relish in the opportunity to play the antagonist in the same way that Donald Sutherland so gleefully portrayed President Snow in the THE HUNGER GAMES movies; alas, Streep is surprisingly forgettable here. Of course, an actor and his/her character is only as strong as the writing allows them to be.
If there’s a real problem with this movie, it appears to be with the screenplay. There’s no doubt that this sci-fi flick (based on the celebrated novel by Lois Lowry) is rich with provocative ideas, but in film form, THE GIVER unfolds a little too quickly. I haven’t read the book, but I get a sense that portions of it were left out of this adaptation in the interest of a shorter running time, and at a stuffed 95 minutes, this proves to be a problem, because a few key relationships (and characters) are painfully underdeveloped, and some of the bigger moments come across as cheesy rather than hard-hitting. What’s more, for a sizable stretch of this movie, I found myself disconnected from it on an emotional level. I recognize that’s part of the point, but I felt like the second half of “The Giver” should have pulled me in on a deeper level.
Director Phillip Noyce (DEAD CALM, PATRIOT GAMES, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE) does a good job building this cinematic world. The film looks beautiful, and Noyce’s use of black and white in the early goings of THE GIVER is fitting, if a tad heavy-handed. The tone of the picture is a creative mixture of ‘50s LEAVE IT TO BEAVER-inspired innocence and a 1984-influenced “I’m-pretty-sure-the-higher-
THE GIVER is certainly problematic, but Thwaites is solid in the lead and Noyce does his best to bring Lowry’s provocative themes to the big screen. Therefore, it’s worth a look.
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