2014 saw three feature films lined up for Streep. The first was the motion picture adaptation of the young adult novel “The Giver”. Set in 2048, the social science fiction film tells the story of a post-apocalyptic community without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, where a young boy is chosen to learn the real world. Streep, who plays the community’s leader, was aware of the book before being offered the role by co-star and producer Jeff Bridges. Upon its release, “The Giver” was met with generally mixed to negative reviews from critics, many being disappointed that the film didn’t match with the novel’s source materia. The same year, Streep also had a small role in Tommy Lee Jones’ western “The Homesman”. Set in the 1850s midwest, the film stars Jones and Hilary Swank as an unusual pair who help three women driven to madness by the frontier to get back East. The Homesman premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival where it garnered largely positive reviews from critics. Upon its release, Tommy Lee Jones commented on Streep: “Meryl Streep needs no praise; she’s got plenty of it. She’s one of the finest movie actors in the history of cinema, and I’m very happy to call her a friend, because to be a friend of hers is another total joy.” Streep’s final film of 2014 was the Disney film adaptation of the Broadway musical Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall. A fantasy genre crossover inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, it centers on a hildless couple, who sets out to end a curse placed on them by a vengeful witch, played by Streep. Though the film was dismissed by some critics such as Mark Kermode as “irritating naffness”, Streep’s performance earned her Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG, and Critic’s Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.