Release: The Giver

 

The Giver
Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi
Director: Lana Wachowski
Writer: Alex Conn
Based on the novel by Lois Lowry
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Morgan Freeman, Kaitlyn Dever, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, Amanda Peet, Ross Lynch




Budget: $36,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $27,679,003
Foreign Box Office: $14,349,777
Total Profit: -$29,969,879

Reaction: The previous adaptation of the novel didn't do great at the box office, so it isn't entirely surprising that this one fizzled there as well. The film's adult tone and subject matter probably also didn't help this Young Adult adaptation much either.

"This adaptation from Alex Conn and half of the Wachowskis is flawed, but not necessarily bad. Chalamet was way too old for the lead role, but the casting of the supporting roles is where the film really is strong. Freeman, Tucci and Crudup all nail their roles with conviction. They're not always given a ton to do, but they make each of their scenes stronger (and the scenes without any of them definitely are more of a chore to watch). From a story standpoint, I still struggle to see why the filmmakers insisted on an R-Rating for the film, but it is definitely better written than most of Conn's other adaptations." - Chrissy Lane, Manhattan Mercury

"Frustrating more than anything. For a dystopian story, the film felt too short and the world too under-explained for me to fully engage. It’s a shame that Chalamet and Freeman are given so few scenes together as this could’ve been a great late-career showcase for the latter if there was more meat on the bone." - George Overmyer, Baltimore Magazine

"Morgan Freeman is a commanding presence as the elderly Giver, but he is woefully underused in the film while Chalamet feels like he has outgrown roles like these over the past couple of years. It's about as bad/disappointing as that other The Giver movie, just in different ways. Maybe Lois Lawry's story just doesn't work as a movie."- Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated R for sexuality/nudity