Apparently Jeff Bridges.as been trying to have The Giver turned into a movie for the better part of two decades. Originally, he wanted to have Lloyd Bridges.n the eponymous role. He even apparently went so far as to have a version filmed somewhere, although so far as I know that version has never been made publically available.

I wonder if that one diverged so much from the book?

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s been rather a while since I’ve read the book. But there seemed to be rather a few minor changes. Most of them were fine; for example, I didn’t mind that his first memory of pain wasn’t a sunburn. But the ending was a bit rocky. After a certain point, I just kept expecting the film to be over. Eventually they got back on the rails, but it took a while.

One good part at least was that I think Jeff Bridges was actually pretty good as The Giver. Just gruff and no-nonsense enough. He didn’t have the odd accent from R.I.P.D..nd for once he didn’t feel like another incarnation of The Big Lebowski. Also, it was interesting to see Taylor Swift in a film role, especially given that I didn’t even know it was her until the credits.

Overall, I’ve seen worse movies. If this wasn’t the film adaptation The Giver (given it took 20 years to make this one, we won’t likely see another), I was hoping for more. What exactly, I couldn’t tell you, but something more.