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Good Movie Reviews

Author: Admin User

 

The Philanthropist” is perhaps one of the most entertaining new shows on television. It revolves around the story of an emotionally troubled American billionaire who travels the world in order to help the classically disenfranchised, women, children, the poor and the infirm.

Filmed in South Africa, Mozambique and Prague, “The Philanthropist” travels outside of TV’s usual comfort zones. In the series’ first three episodes, the show’s hero, Teddy Rist (James Purefoy) busts up a Franco-Russian sex trafficking ring, delivers needed medical supplies to poor rural Africans, and saves a poor man from a Burmese sweatshop to deliver an organ to a poor child.

Teddy has taken up philanthropy because he is working through a kind of mid-life crisis triggered by the death of his young son and subsequent breakup of his marriage. He uses extreme philanthropy, ie. literally jumping into the fray to save lives, as a method for finding peace.

What makes “The Philanthropist” a uniquely compelling show is that it asks views to consider a society that would allow a person to become rich, but that does not require that same person to give something back to a world from which he or she has taken so much. It does so by characterizing Teddy as a well meaning, but somewhat hubristic and slightly clueless womanizer turned do-gooder.

As the co-CEO of a supremely wealthy corporation, he is initially naïve about the structure of corruption throughout the world, and must quickly educate himself if he is to save lives. His ex-love interest and head of his corporate philanthropic division, Olivia Maidstone (Neve Campbell) acts as kind of foil, showing viewers what philanthropy without guilt or corporate motivation looks like, while Teddy’s best friend and co-CEO, Philip Maidstone (Jesse L. Martin) personifies Teddy’s old “business first, people second” mentality.
In an age when our global economy is teetering on complete collapse, it is refreshing to watch a show explore how our got to this point and how some of us might begin to turn back the tide by considering others.

Its multi-ethnic casting also enhances the enjoyment factor. Purefoy, an Englishman, delivers a level of charm and sauciness to what might otherwise be a completely unsympathetic character, while Martin, an African-American Virginian, delights as a more conservative, reliable suit and family man.

Perhaps the best thing about “The Philanthropist” is that it mixes a bit of racy humor with its serious tone. Through the show, Teddy regularly reinforces his international playboy credentials by either sleeping with or flirting with a myriad of international beauties.

“The Philanthropist” airs Wednesdays, 10 p.m. EDT on NBC.


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