Fading Gigolo
Directed by: John Tuturro
Written by: John Tuturro
Starring: John Tuturro, Woody Allen, Vanessa Paradis, Liev Schreiber, Sharon Stone, Sofía Vergara, Tonya Pinkins
Comedy - 90 min Reviewed on: 2 May 2014
Written by: John Tuturro
Starring: John Tuturro, Woody Allen, Vanessa Paradis, Liev Schreiber, Sharon Stone, Sofía Vergara, Tonya Pinkins
Comedy - 90 min Reviewed on: 2 May 2014
Fioravante (John Tuturro) is comfortable with women. He knows how to talk to them, put them at ease, and how to please them physically. Perhaps this is why his friend, Murray (Woody Allen), suggests he become a gigolo. Murray recognizes Fioravante’s rare talents and sees a method to make some easy cash under the table. Fioravante is more hesitant than Murray concerning the moral implications about the proposed hobby but is certainly not an unwilling participant.
Also written and directed by John Tuturro, Fading Gigolo is his fifth directorial effort and features a rare acting performance from Woody Allen in a film not directed by him. The story behind the film is quirky; Tuturro told his barber about the idea of an older male prostitute and the barber mentioned the idea to another customer, Woody Allen. Fading Gigolo feels like a typical Woody Allen script because he was Tuturro’s frequent sounding board and script advisor. Murray also converses about his fear of death, a more than familiar Woody Allen theme.
Forgoing any prelude, the film immediately launches into the gigolo idea in the first scene. This is a prime example of the script’s abruptness and sole focus on the plot disregarding character. We know nothing and learn nothing about Fioravante’s past. Why is he alone? There is a brief allusion to someone from the past no longer there but the situation for the movie’s main protagonist remains opaque. Murray lives with a much younger African American woman and her four sons. Why? Shouldn’t that living situation come with an immediate explanation or is it merely a visual nod to the idea of New York City as a melting pot with increasingly blurry lines between cultures?
One of Fioravante’s pseudo-clients comes from one of those separated cultures; she is an orthodox Jew. In mourning for her two year deceased rabbi husband, Avigal (Vanessa Paradis in her first English language film) takes Murray’s advice and spends some time with Fioravante, breaking numerous Hasidic laws in the process. Avigal and Fioravante do not maintain the sort of relationship one imagines in the gigolo business. He starts to give her a back massage and she breaks down in tears. Most men would stop and ask why she is crying. Ah, remember Fioravante knows women. He offers her a tissue and places his hands back onto her back and just holds them there. He recognizes loneliness when he sees it.
There are other supporting characters including two women who use Fioravante for his intended purpose including a disgruntled housewife played by Sharon Stone and her wildcat friend interested in a ménage a trois played by Sofía Vergara. Liev Schreiber shows up as the local Hasidic neighborhood policeman who has been a longtime suitor of Avigal. These folks are necessary to advance the plot but they are nowhere near as interesting as when Fioravante and Avigal share the screen. Paradis in particular is a pleasure to watch as she transforms from insular widow into a woman recognizing there is life beyond her sheltered community.
If Fading Gigolo was a Woody Allen film, it would fall into his minor canon; one of those placeholders between masterpieces. There is nothing to grasp onto besides the relationship between Tuturro and Paradis and that makes for a limited film. Marketed as a comedy about a somewhat reluctant gigolo there are surprisingly few laughs. Drama and introspection overshadow any possible jokes about Murray’s pimp name, Dan Bongo.
See it if you regularly devour any and all Woody Allen film credits or if you wish to enjoy a wonderful performance by Vanessa Paradis. Otherwise, there is nothing here you are missing out on. Also, for the gentlemen, you won’t gain too many tips on how to communicate with your wife more effectively. Just know there is a man named Fioravante who would charm the socks off of her.
Also written and directed by John Tuturro, Fading Gigolo is his fifth directorial effort and features a rare acting performance from Woody Allen in a film not directed by him. The story behind the film is quirky; Tuturro told his barber about the idea of an older male prostitute and the barber mentioned the idea to another customer, Woody Allen. Fading Gigolo feels like a typical Woody Allen script because he was Tuturro’s frequent sounding board and script advisor. Murray also converses about his fear of death, a more than familiar Woody Allen theme.
Forgoing any prelude, the film immediately launches into the gigolo idea in the first scene. This is a prime example of the script’s abruptness and sole focus on the plot disregarding character. We know nothing and learn nothing about Fioravante’s past. Why is he alone? There is a brief allusion to someone from the past no longer there but the situation for the movie’s main protagonist remains opaque. Murray lives with a much younger African American woman and her four sons. Why? Shouldn’t that living situation come with an immediate explanation or is it merely a visual nod to the idea of New York City as a melting pot with increasingly blurry lines between cultures?
One of Fioravante’s pseudo-clients comes from one of those separated cultures; she is an orthodox Jew. In mourning for her two year deceased rabbi husband, Avigal (Vanessa Paradis in her first English language film) takes Murray’s advice and spends some time with Fioravante, breaking numerous Hasidic laws in the process. Avigal and Fioravante do not maintain the sort of relationship one imagines in the gigolo business. He starts to give her a back massage and she breaks down in tears. Most men would stop and ask why she is crying. Ah, remember Fioravante knows women. He offers her a tissue and places his hands back onto her back and just holds them there. He recognizes loneliness when he sees it.
There are other supporting characters including two women who use Fioravante for his intended purpose including a disgruntled housewife played by Sharon Stone and her wildcat friend interested in a ménage a trois played by Sofía Vergara. Liev Schreiber shows up as the local Hasidic neighborhood policeman who has been a longtime suitor of Avigal. These folks are necessary to advance the plot but they are nowhere near as interesting as when Fioravante and Avigal share the screen. Paradis in particular is a pleasure to watch as she transforms from insular widow into a woman recognizing there is life beyond her sheltered community.
If Fading Gigolo was a Woody Allen film, it would fall into his minor canon; one of those placeholders between masterpieces. There is nothing to grasp onto besides the relationship between Tuturro and Paradis and that makes for a limited film. Marketed as a comedy about a somewhat reluctant gigolo there are surprisingly few laughs. Drama and introspection overshadow any possible jokes about Murray’s pimp name, Dan Bongo.
See it if you regularly devour any and all Woody Allen film credits or if you wish to enjoy a wonderful performance by Vanessa Paradis. Otherwise, there is nothing here you are missing out on. Also, for the gentlemen, you won’t gain too many tips on how to communicate with your wife more effectively. Just know there is a man named Fioravante who would charm the socks off of her.
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