I have been waiting for this movie for far longer than it was even in development – over 2 decades, in fact. Lois Lowry’s The Giver was my absolute favorite book as a child. I probably read it 5-10 times between the ages of 8 and 18. There’s very little I can say without ruining the plot’s big reveals, but suffice to say it opened my eyes to a whole new level of storytelling that I had never encountered before. Getting pre-teens to think philosophically about the world they are growing up into? That’s impressive.
I knew Jeff Bridges had been sitting on the movie rights for a long time. Originally his father, the great Lloyd Bridges was going to play the titular Giver. But as Lloyd passed away, and the project got put on hold for several years, Jeff grew into the role, which calls for a village elder, of sorts.
What I didn’t know, was the Meryl Streep was also cast, nor that they landed fantastic director Phillip Noyce to helm the project. His work on Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Quiet American, and Salt are a good clue this is going to be handled expertly.
Still, for all who haven’t yet, I recommend reading the book first. It’s a quick read. There’s plenty of time to get it in – several times over – before the movie opens on August 15.
The Screen Life 