The Benefactor

The Benefactor is let down by not being sure what type of film it wants to be.

Is it a tour de force by Richard Gere, a multi millionaire whose life is falling apart as he is wrapped by guilt as his actions caused the death of his friends in an automobile accident and then consumed by painkiller addiction or a man who seeks to meddle with the offspring of the people who died in the accident. A kind of a sinister Kriss Kringle who has designs on either the now grown up daughter or her surgeon husband.

Gere as Franny Watts is convincing as the well to do but disabled rich guy lost in addiction but surely a millionaire who is in need of morphine would be able to get hold of it if he really needed it?

Despite an earnest performance by Gere the film just does not know where to go.

A very slow moving picture with a rather predictable story-line.

Richard Gere gets to play a quirky eccentric rich man who has his own demons to deal with and tries to make others happy by giving of his money and manipulation.

Dakota Fanning is a solid young actor who has a great career ahead of her but needs to steer clear of this type of movie. This did nothing good for her even if all she got was to work with Richard Gere.

Theo James is a mostly TV actor who I have never seen before but he carried his weight in this one well and was not overwhelmed by Gere and Fanning.

I don't think the movie is worth a watch. There's nothing in it apart from Richard Gere's fine performance. If you still want to try it, he is the only reason to consider. You know performances alone can't save the movie, especially that theory did not work in this film. The story was very plain, it was about a man who's living with remorse and suddenly an unexpected thing happens that could help him to come out of his guilt fell, but it only gets worse in his every attempt.

The contribution from the rest of the cast was one of two reasons for the movie's downfall. They were okay, no complaint about that, but they were totally not visible like their existence means nothing other than to support the Gere's role. And the other reason was the scenes that lacked to imprint in the viewer's head with memorable quotes and/or moments. I would say there's a dull atmosphere in the entire narration. It is not an entertainer, but can be a character study material.

5½/10

Review: Although Richard Gere is superb in this movie, I couldn't really see the point of it. The film kicks off with Franny (Richard Gere) in the car with his two best friends, Mia (Cheryl Hines) and Bobby (Dylan Baker), and while he is hugging Bobby, who is driving, a speeding car hits there car and Franny manages to escape with fatal wounds but he sadly loses his two best friends. After those dramatic scenes, Franny becomes a recluse and ends up addicted to painkillers until he gets a call from Mia & Bobby's pregnant daughter, Olivia (Dakota Fanning) who wants to come home with her boyfriend Luke (Theo James). After buying the couple a house, Franny does everything for the couple, out of guilt, because he feels responsible for the car crash but when he isn't able to get anymore prescriptions for his painkillers, he becomes out of control, and he's unable to hold it together. That part of the storyline is pretty straight forward but it doesn't seem to go anywhere. I thought that Luke treated Franny quite terribly, after everything that he had done for him, and Olivia didn't really interact with Franny, until the end, when he was struggling against his addiction. Anyway, it's a watchable drama with some emotional scenes but the storyline dries up after a while.

Round-Up: Richard Gere, 66, isn't one of those actors that takes on any and every project, that is brought to him and I must admit, some of his latest movies haven't been that great but that's not due to his great acting skills. Since his first movie, Operation Undercover in 1975, Gere has only made 50 movies, which have grossed nearly $1.5Billion, with Pretty Woman being his biggest hit with $178.5 million and he has become a household name with his dashing looks and cool demeanour. This movie was directed by Andrew Renzi, 31, who has only made 3 shorts in his career and a movie called Fishtail, which I personally haven't heard of, so he hasn't got that much experience behind the camera. He certainly got the most out of Richard Gere but from an entertainment point of view, it needed some other elements to keep it interesting.

Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $2million

I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramas starring Richard Gere, Theo James, Dakota Fanning, Cheryl Hines, Clarke Peters and Dylan Baker. 4/10

The Benefactor is a small drama with a decent cast. Sometimes these kind of movies are really engrossing but unfortunately this one although not terrible isn't memorable.

Richard Gere plays a Philanthropist haunted by the death of his friends and wanting to relive his past and make amends at the same time. He therefore sets out to help his friends daughter and her new husband. Although Gere is a good actor his character in this film just comes across as unlikeable. This therefore stops any sympathy you have for him and effectively ends much interest in the film. I thought Theo James did a good job as the husband but Dakota Fanning is woefully under used.

At times this is mildly interesting so it wasn't a complete write off but towards the end it sags badly and the rushed ending is highly unsatisfactory.

Unless you're a huge fan of any of the actors I'd give this one a skip. This probably worth a 5 but I'll up it to a 6 just for the shock scene near the start.