40
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyThe actor’s comic sad clown performance lifts the film above an ordinary script.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeRenzi'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.
- 50The PlaylistJessica KiangThe PlaylistJessica KiangIt 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.
- 50Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlSadly, 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.
- 50TheWrapRobert AbeleTheWrapRobert AbeleWhile 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.
- 40New York Daily NewsStephen WhittyNew York Daily NewsStephen WhittyOld silver-fox Gere looks great. He’s almost embarrassingly charming — which is the point — but there’s not much else here.
- 25Slant MagazineChristopher GraySlant MagazineChristopher GrayWriter-director Andrew Renzi treats unfettered wealth as a hyperbolic playground through which to explore masculine insecurity.
- 25Washington PostAlan ZilbermanWashington PostAlan ZilbermanIt 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.