6.5/10
91,492
276 user 198 critic

The Giver (2014)

Trailer
0:30 | Trailer
In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
Reviews
Popularity
710 ( 75)
1 win & 5 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Alexander Jillings ...
James Jillings ...
Jordan Nicholas Smal ...
Saige Fernandes ...
Renate Stuurman ...
Dinah
Vanessa Cooke ...
Elder
Edit

Storyline

After The Ruin, a colorless equalitarian society is formed without memories and everyone follows rules established by the Chief Elder and the Elders. The population uses drugs to stay happy and on the day of the graduation, the teenagers leave their childhood and are assigned to a career chosen by the Elders. Jonas lives with his parents and has two best friends, Fiona and Asher, and he feels different from his friends. He is assigned to be the Receiver of Memories and he is trained by his mentor, The Giver, who gives memories of the world before The Ruin. Jonas learns emotions such as love and fear and the concept of family. When he discovers that the baby Gabriel that he loves as a brother will be eliminated, he decides to change his society but the Chief Elder will do anything to stop him. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

You can make things better. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a mature thematic image and some sci-fi action/violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

| |  »

Country:

| |

Language:

Release Date:

29 October 2014 (France)  »

Also Known As:

El dador de recuerdos  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$12,305,016 (USA) (15 August 2014)

Gross:

$45,089,048 (USA) (5 December 2014)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original novel, Jonas and his friends are twelve years old. However, for the film they were aged up by six years. See more »

Goofs

When Jonas and the Giver walk home from their first meeting they pass by some people assembling a tree. From this point on the shot is flopped (Giver is to Jonas' right and the brake lever and swing arm of the front wheel fork of the bike are on the left side). The image stays mirrored until they they separate, when Jonas asks about the one before him. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: All memories of the past were erased.
Jonas: After The Ruin we started over, creating a new society, one of true equality. Rules were the building blocks of that equality. We learned them as Newchildren. Rules like: use precise language, wear your assigned clothing, take your morning medication, obey the curfew, never lie.
Jonas: My name is Jonas. I don't have a last name. None of us did. That day, the day before graduation, I admit it, I was scared. Tomorrow we'd be assigned our jobs, our ...
[...]
See more »


Soundtracks

Holly and the Ivy
Traditional
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Lackluster
14 August 2014 | by (London, England) – See all my reviews

I went into the movie with high expectations after having read the book in high school. I absolutely loved the book and always imagined it to be a certain way. While some aspects of the film met my expectations in terms of visual delivery and execution of the novel, a lot of it did not. There were many scenes that I would have loved to see but were not included.

As a film on its own, I found some of the acting to be lacking in emotions and conviction. I did enjoy Meryl Streep and the Giver, but the rest were very average. Some parts of the film felt slightly rushed, missing out on the true essence and meaning it could have conveyed. I did not feel as indulged in the film as I was in the book. Perhaps this was because I loved the book very much, but I feel it was also because the film lacked passion and depth. The overall message and meaning behind the story was not adequately conveyed as important scenes were not emphasized on and were rushed. Jonas's character development happened too quickly and we could not create a connection with any of the characters in the film.

Overall, I found the film to be average. Those that have read the book will find it to be below expectations whereas others may enjoy it for the concept and meaning it attempts to convey.


65 of 112 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
The Hungry Divergent Maze Giver ... dudeswalis
Did Mormons take over the future? gilwood
The Very Worst Movie Of The Past Two Years (at least) !! jazzbruce
Critics just hate everything YA so they are predisposed to dislike. do-arellano-mayra
outside beyond the community schardt_cinematic
Blackwhite and color, other movies? Kling
Discuss The Giver (2014) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?