The Benefactor (2015)

A philanthropist meddles in the lives of newly-married couples in an attempt to relive his past.

Director:

Andrew Renzi

Writer:

Andrew Renzi

Stars:

Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Theo James

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Franny
Dylan Baker	...	Bobby
Cheryl Hines	...	Mia
Dakota Fanning	...	Olivia
Theo James	...	Luke
Brian Anthony Wilson	...	Jesse
Justin Goncalves	...	Javier
Dennisha Pratt	...	Sharon
Matthew Daisher	...	Toby
Michael Daisher	...	Toby
Roy James Wilson	...	Charlie
Clarke Peters	...	Dr. Romano
Robert Kelly	...	Older Man
Jeffrey Cousar	...	Clerk
Matt Myers	...	Bathroom Attendant

Storyline

An aged philanthropist reunites with the pregnant daughter of his close friends who tragically died in an accident that he feels responsible for causing. His inner demons have driven him to abuse drugs which causes the reunion to become strained between the daughter and her husband. His story is told through flashbacks to the day of the tragic accident.

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Plot Keywords:

philadelphia city hall | philadelphia art museum | mercedes benz | wristwatch | morphine addiction | 

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Taglines:

His help comes at a price.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reunites Clarke Peters and Brian Anthony Wilson of The Wire (2002).

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Goofs

Hydromorphone is not morphine, as (Theo James) the physician referred to it. Hydromorphone is also known as Dilaudid. A physician should know that.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Franny: All I see are bedrooms and nurses stations here.
Bobby: Yeah, well, it's a hospital.
Franny: It's a children's hospital! It needs color.
Bobby: Come on.
Franny: Are we partners?
Bobby: Yeah.
Franny: Are we par... We *are* partners. I understand, and I get the whole thing. Your job is to cure these kids, my job's to make them feel better. We need animal stickers on the windows. We need sailboats hanging from the ceiling. We need fun things...
Mia: He's right. For once.
Bobby: Don't encourage him.

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Soundtracks

Naturally
Written by Chris Cosgrove and Dan Marcellus
Performed by Future People
Courtesy of VU Music

User Reviews

Great performance from Gere but the storyline dries up. 4/10

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Franny

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,159,380

Company Credits

Production Co:

Audax Films, Big Shoes Media, Celerity Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1