The presence of Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep in supporting roles will help draw some attention from grown-ups who don’t know the book, but while the film may see enough success to justify follow-ups (Lowry has written three sequels), this franchise won’t come close to competing with The Hunger Games.

Having the indelible Meryl Streep and the charming Jeff Bridges together in a movie sounds like a casting coup. But even their best talents can’t thaw out the deeply refrigerated treatment. The characters, their situations and their emotions are ice cold. You never feel the much required spike of passion. It just flat lines into an open ending. The young and spirited would just say, WTF.

By the time The Giver ends, you can completely relate to why the Elders didn’t want the Communities to have any memory. We’d definitely be happier if we could forget The Giver had been made.

A relevant tale let down by uneven treatment and performances…