Fading Gigolo

Fading Gigolo is a 2013 American comedy film directed, written by, and starring John Turturro. The film, co-starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Paradis, Liev Schreiber and Eugenia Kuzmina premiered in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It was given a limited release on April 18, 2014, and received mixed reviews.

Fading Gigolo
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Turturro
Produced byBill Block
Paul Hanson
Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte
Written byJohn Turturro
StarringJohn Turturro
Woody Allen
Sharon Stone
Sofia Vergara
Vanessa Paradis
Liev Schreiber
Eugenia Kuzmina
Music byAbraham Laboriel
Bill Maxwell
CinematographyMarco Pontecorvo
Edited bySimona Paggi
Production
company
Distributed byMillennium Entertainment[1]
Release date
  • September 7, 2013 (2013-09-07) (TIFF)
  • April 18, 2014 (2014-04-18) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone), a wealthy dermatologist, mentions to her patient Murray (Woody Allen) that she and a woman friend, Selima, wish to experience a ménage à trois and asks if he knows a willing man. Murray, whose used bookstore has failed, convinces his friend and former employee Fioravante (John Turturro) to take the gig, as both are short of money. Soon, they build a thriving gigolo trade with Murray as the pimp. Murray lives with Othella (Tonya Pinkins) and her children, one of whom gets head lice. Murray takes the boy to Avigal, the attractive widow of a Hassidic rabbi, for treatment.

Murray tells her Fioravante is a massage healer who can help her and takes her to see him. Being too religiously observant to even shake hands with him, she nonetheless allows Fioravante to massage her back and that touch, the first in two years, since the passing of her husband, brings her to tears. Meanwhile, Dovi (Liev Schreiber), who works for Shomrim, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood patrol, becomes suspicious and follows Murray. Dovi is in love with Avigal, but she does not encourage him. Fioravante and Avigal meet several more times, culminating in a kiss in the park.

Fioravante is summoned to the long planned ménage, but is unable to finish. The two women cheerfully realize the truth—he has fallen in love. Murray is kidnapped by a group of Hassids, taken to a Rabbinic Court, and interrogated. Avigal interrupts the court and confesses to violating the laws of modesty, but nothing more, explaining she was lonely. Avigal now accepts Dovi, but has him drive her to Fioravante to say good bye. Fioravante tells Murray he is leaving, but reconsiders after a café encounter with Loan, a beautiful woman.

Cast

Release

Fading Gigolo screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2013.[4] It received a limited release in the United States on April 18, 2014.[5]

Reception

Fading Gigolo received mixed reviews. On film aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 55% approval rating, with an average score of 5.85/10, based on reviews from 143 critics. The website's critical consensus states: "Admittedly vulgar and ludicrous, Fading Gigolo gets a surprising amount of mileage out of the entertaining chemistry between its starring duo".[6] On another website, Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on reviews from 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]

Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, noting that "Turturro's trick is to take stereotypical characters and to portray them in an offbeat and surprising way."[8] Peter Debruge of Variety gave it a favorable review. "It certainly benefits from having Allen aboard, though only Turturro would fight to bring such a warm and disarming experiment to the screen", he said.[4] Catherine Shoard of The Guardian praised Woody Allen's performance, stating that "Turturro has given Allen his biggest and best on-screen turn in years".[9] Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice called the film "a breeze, enjoyable both for its sweetness and its unapologetic silliness".[10]

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References
  1. Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 9, 2013). "Toronto: 'Fading Gigolo' Sells For $3 Million To Millennium Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  2. "FADING GIGOLO (15)". British Board of Film Classification. March 19, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  3. "Fading Gigolo". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  4. Debruge, Peter (September 12, 2013). "Toronto Film Review: 'Fading Gigolo'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  5. McDaniel, Matt (January 8, 2014). "Sharon Stone Cozies Up With Sofia Vergara in 'Fading Gigolo' Trailer Premiere". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  6. "Fading Gigolo (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. "Fading Gigolo Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  8. Macnab, Geoffrey (May 22, 2014). "Fading Gigolo, film review: John Turturro directs New York story in sweet and jazzy key". The Independent. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  9. Shoard, Catherine (September 9, 2013). "Fading Gigolo: Toronto 2013 - first look review". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  10. Zacharek, Stephanie (April 16, 2014). "Fading Gigolo: John Turturro and Woody Allen Charm in a Brooklyn Sex Comedy". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
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