Disappointment for a huge fan!

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This film tells the story of an older man who tries to resolve his guilt from years ago, by being a generous benefactor of a hospital and if a newly wed couple."The Benefactor" is a touching story that shows a man trouble by his past unintentional deed. He tries to make things up, but unfortunately his good intentions do not always go the intended way. Richard Gere is convincing as a troubled soul who has unlimited resources but still cannot wash away the inner demons. No matter what he does, he is still shown be tormented. It's a heavy story, be prepared for it before you watch it.

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

The gist of "The Benefactor" is that the main character named "Franny" Watts is independently wealthy and doles out money to his friends with an implicit quid pro quo. The beneficiaries become aware that they are enabling Franny's addiction to painkillers. The principal focus of the narrative is Franny's guilt for an auto accident in which his best friends were killed. Years later, he purchases their home as a gift to their beloved daughter whom Franny calls "Poodles." The film was written a vehicle for Richard Gere in the role of Franny. But all of the character developments are sketchy, as the scenario is built around Gere's emotional outbursts. The thankless role of Poodles is played by Dakota Fanning, who never fully realizes that Franny was responsible for the auto accident that killed he parents when he was smoking marijuana and horsing around in the car.Too much left unanswered in this film. Where did Franny get his money? Why wasn't the auto accident investigated and the lit marijuana cigarette found in the car? How could Poodles allow Franny to purchase the home and pay off her husband's medical school loans with raising some basic questions about his motivation? How could Franny's addiction go undetected for so long? Even die-hard Richard Gere fans will probably find this film perplexing and unconvincing. SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS: The ending in which Franny's bags are packed and he appears ready for a long trip was the final insult in a film that failed to address the topic raised by the filmmakers about the seriousness of addiction to painkillers.

Richard Gere's character is a neurotic, drug addicted, lonely, filthy rich, self indulgent old fart manic dick. I suffered through an hour of this snooze fest waiting for something, anything to happen before finally giving up. At first I thought it looked interesting and was trying to get into it, the opening scenes got me interested, but I kept waiting for something of substance to develop, but it got more silly as the movie went on. Why was this movie even made, just to show that Richard Gere can still act? What a waste of time. The opening scenes with flash backs kept me going, but I just could no longer take watching the Richard Gere character being so pathetic. This film is really disappointing and could have had some potential with a different script, maybe they should have invited Julia Roberts to co star and made it into a romantic comedy.