Movie Review 'The Giver': Go for it if you have nothing better to do
The only thing exciting about it was the Singham Returns trailer that preceded it
Director: Phillip Noyce
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgard, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift
Rating: 2 and half stars
On the eve of his graduation ceremony, young Jonas (debutant Brenton Thwaites) is apprehensive — ‘terrified’ in his own words but quickly reprimanded for lack of ‘precision of language’ — about the task that would be assigned to him. In Jonas’ utopian world set in the distant future, people are assigned to family units, children are born in laboratories, and life is black and white governed by polite but strict rules and completely devoid of colour in the literal and metaphoric sense. People live in communities that are not bound by surnames, religion or emotions and all they do is aspire for a sense of Sameness. Boring? Well if that was the goal of the filmmaker, he’s got it spot-on.
Based on Lois Lowry’s 1993 book of the same name, The Giver, the story is about Jonas, who knows from very early on that he sees things differently than those around him. At the graduation ceremony Jonas is picked to be the Receiver of Memories by the Chief Elder (played by Streep), a role that will make him the one person in the entire community who will have access to memories of the past.
This would make him privy to things that are inherently humane — colour, emotions and attachments — and give him the maturity to understand the depth in each of them. Imparting him the knowledge and memories of the past is the Giver (played by Bridges) who takes Jonas on telepathic journeys through history and introduces him to the world of love, vibrancy, pain and betrayal.
The role of the Receiver of Memories is meant to be one of wisdom, where the person is called upon for guidance by the elders in the community in the event that they need information from the past to help them make decisions for the present and the future.
So the Receiver is picked to be the bearer of all the world’s information in a house that is the only one in the community that does not look sanitised and robotic. Despite the Bee Movie kind of drone-ish, clannish approach to a world that is heavily regulated, Jonas, since he has always been different, begins to respond to the information he starts to receive with measured rebellion. He realises that the people in the units don’t realise the horrific acts they are committing because they have no memories, therefore no perspective, on matters that are actually deeper than they understand. The Chief Elder gets wind of Jonas’ rebellion and The Giver’s encouragement of it. What follows is Jonas’ determination to get out of the community to help li’l Gabriel and the people around him by giving them back memories of a more humane existence.
When the dramatis personae of a film boasts the likes of Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, there is automatically a steep increase in expectations and the belief that no matter how shoddy a film is, these two would never let you down. Sadly, The Giver, while showcasing some of Bridges’ talent through his gruff portrayal of the title role, has completely under-utilised Streep. She plays her role as a stern chief with the cold precision of a surgical tool. Sadly there’s very little to her role other than being the executioner of rules. An actress of her calibre is seen struggling in a role that lacks depth thanks to the nature of it, and has to remain content with being one-dimensional. Thwaites shows glimmers of talent but is largely quite same-ol’ even in his debut role. Odeya Rush is really one to watch out for. Even though she has little to do in the film, her scenes are totally lit up by the sparkle in her eyes and she manages to bring in a fair bit of colour even in the monochromatic sequences.
Katie Holmes, herself quite a limited actress, excels in an emotion-less role that seems to be tailormade for her. Only teenyboppers would be thrilled to find Taylor Swift in one of the briefest cameos in a recent film.
The film is underwhelming despite a top-heavy cast and after a point seems like a needless, unconvincing chase although it is all of 90 minutes. There are brief sparks of brilliance in the cinematography department and some striking moments delivered by Bridges. Go for it if you have nothing better to do. The only thing exciting about it was the Singham Returns trailer that preceded it.
Watch the film's trailer here: