The Benefactor
Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: January 15, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
12
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
VarietyBen KenigsbergMay 5, 2015
The movie ends in a more conventional place than the one where it begins, yet it still marks a surprising and graceful first fiction feature for writer-director Andrew Renzi. Read full review
63
New York PostSara StewartJan 20, 2016
Fanning has little to do beyond grasping her prosthetic stomach, but James is a decent foil for Gere, who gives form to the highly topical subject of how pain meds destroy lives. Read full review
60
Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyNov 22, 2015
The actor’s comic sad clown performance lifts the film above an ordinary script. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Jan 13, 2016
That makes the role well tailored to its occupant: Gere stays within his range of moneyed playboys, while still getting to indulge in the kind of unflattering behavior that a more put-together Richard Gere character would never exhibit. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 14, 2016
More times than not, The Benefactor takes the less interesting fork in the road. Read full review
50
TheWrapRobert AbeleJan 14, 2016
While writer-director Andrew Renzi’s feature narrative debut is problematic whenever Gere isn’t onscreen (and even sometimes when he is), the veteran star exudes a damaged magnetism reminiscent of the character studies that thrilled discerning moviegoers in the ’70s. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJan 12, 2016
Sadly, The Benefactor proves less rich and engaging as it settles into its actual genre: It's yet another troubled-dude-starts-pulling-it-together tale. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 22, 2015
Renzi's uneven script makes this a less sturdy vehicle than 2012's Arbitrage, and a less marketable one given the absence of thriller elements that sustained that film's character study. Still, there's plenty here for Gere's admirers to appreciate. Read full review
50
The PlaylistJessica KiangNov 22, 2015
It promises a minute character study, but Franny, though embodied by a game Gere who in all fairness does visit places in his performance we have rarely seen him even stop by before, is less a person than a collection of quirks. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJan 20, 2016
Gere, an actor capable of great nuance, hams it up so mightily you’d think the film was sponsored by Boar’s Head. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeFeb 22, 2016
Is there something creepy about Franny’s aggressive generosity and need to be needed? In a film with a better script, yes. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJan 14, 2016
What begins as an intriguing psychological thriller devolves into an addiction drama, growing less interesting as it proceeds and giving costars Dakota Fanning and Theo James little to do. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJan 14, 2016
So long as the camera is studying Franny maniacally bestowing his largess or throwing temper tantrums, The Benefactor is mesmerizing. But Mr. Gere’s flamboyant performance is the sole raison d’être for this melodrama. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Jan 13, 2016
Old silver-fox Gere looks great. He’s almost embarrassingly charming — which is the point — but there’s not much else here. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJan 15, 2016
One of those what-were-they-thinking projects in which good talent is on very bad display. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonJan 15, 2016
This movie is one big, unsatisfying tease. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedJan 15, 2016
As a memorable work of cinema, it misses every important mark by a mile. Read full review
25
Washington PostAlan ZilbermanJan 14, 2016
It isn’t unusual for a good premise to have a faulty execution. The Benefactor suffers from a conclusion that feels inauthentic to the real perils of addiction, as well as to its own story. The only remarkable thing about it is Gere, who really should stick to filmmakers worthy of his talent. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayJan 10, 2016
Writer-director Andrew Renzi treats unfettered wealth as a hyperbolic playground through which to explore masculine insecurity. Read full review
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