John Turturro is best known to mainstream for his role as Agent Simmons in the Transformers series and has had to suffer many indignities for his sins. But with his latest film, Turturro gets to portray what some may regard as a wish fulfilling role playing a successful gigolo who gets to sleep with many beautiful ladies.
Fioravante (John Turturro) is a part-time florist who helps his old friend Murray (Woody Allen) – whose bookshop goes out of business. Hard-up for cash Murray tells Fioravante about Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone) who wants to have a threesome with her friend and suggested Fioravante for the role. Soon Fioravante becomes a successful gigolo with Murray as his pimp. But Fioravante's life is complicated by his relationship with an orthodox Jewish widow, Avigal (Vanessa Paradis).
Fading Gigolo has advertised as a comedy with some of the main quotes on the poster focusing on the comic elements. But the film is as much a drama as it is a comedy and a very mixed bag. It is a film that has some excellent moments but the individual elements do not make the sum of its parts. At a 90 minute running time Fading Gigolo has some parts which were only very minor, playing a bigger role in an earlier draft of the screenplay and should have been cut completely.
Allen is the comic highlight of the film, bringing energy and expert comic timing. He has the best lines, many based on his new profession or his Jewish heritage. Some of recognisable neurotic persona is around, but it is not as prevalent as it has been. Allen has a particularly strong relationship and interplay with Turturro and the two make a good double act.
The other really strong element of the film is the relationship between Turturro and Paradis. Both actors are excellent together and give good performances. Turturro directs their scenes together with a tenderness that was required and their scenes together were given emotional weight. Two scenes of note were Fioravante and Avigal first encountering and when the pair are in a park; given extra power by long takes and the lovely cinematography.
The two women that want a threesome are Sharon Stone and Modern Family's Sofía Vergara, two of the least likely women who would struggle to find a man to join them. Even if they did, considering we live in the digital age, they could surely find someone on the internet.
Fading Gigolo is a deliberately old-fashioned film, using classic cinematography of long takes, a jazzy score and focuses on close-knit communities. While the film has some solid comic and dramatic moments it suffers from major tonal shift and an unfocused screenplay.
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Fioravante (John Turturro) is a part-time florist who helps his old friend Murray (Woody Allen) – whose bookshop goes out of business. Hard-up for cash Murray tells Fioravante about Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone) who wants to have a threesome with her friend and suggested Fioravante for the role. Soon Fioravante becomes a successful gigolo with Murray as his pimp. But Fioravante's life is complicated by his relationship with an orthodox Jewish widow, Avigal (Vanessa Paradis).
Fading Gigolo has advertised as a comedy with some of the main quotes on the poster focusing on the comic elements. But the film is as much a drama as it is a comedy and a very mixed bag. It is a film that has some excellent moments but the individual elements do not make the sum of its parts. At a 90 minute running time Fading Gigolo has some parts which were only very minor, playing a bigger role in an earlier draft of the screenplay and should have been cut completely.
Allen is the comic highlight of the film, bringing energy and expert comic timing. He has the best lines, many based on his new profession or his Jewish heritage. Some of recognisable neurotic persona is around, but it is not as prevalent as it has been. Allen has a particularly strong relationship and interplay with Turturro and the two make a good double act.
The other really strong element of the film is the relationship between Turturro and Paradis. Both actors are excellent together and give good performances. Turturro directs their scenes together with a tenderness that was required and their scenes together were given emotional weight. Two scenes of note were Fioravante and Avigal first encountering and when the pair are in a park; given extra power by long takes and the lovely cinematography.
The two women that want a threesome are Sharon Stone and Modern Family's Sofía Vergara, two of the least likely women who would struggle to find a man to join them. Even if they did, considering we live in the digital age, they could surely find someone on the internet.
Fading Gigolo is a deliberately old-fashioned film, using classic cinematography of long takes, a jazzy score and focuses on close-knit communities. While the film has some solid comic and dramatic moments it suffers from major tonal shift and an unfocused screenplay.
Please visit www.rocknreelreviews.com