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.

A philanthropist meddles in the lives of newly-married couples in an attempt to relive his past. The Benefactor packs one of Richard Gere's best performances in years and basically since 2009's Hachiko as for Dakota Fanning and Theo James their both great as well and the story had a lot of heart in it i won't spoil what exactly happens or who basically dies but if you are patient and understand that this is a slow drama you won't be disappointed, Gere was fantastic and the movie had a lot of depth in it and i totally recommend you to check it out in the near future is nowhere near as bad as the reviews were saying and i'm gonna give it an 8/10

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