Although writer-director John Tuturro has many narrative
dots he fails to connect, and if you can overlook Woody Allen’s messy personal
life, “Fading Gigolo” has some rewards to offer. This movie is a sex comedy
featuring Allen who, if you hadn’t heard, was recently accused again of child
molestation by his adoptive daughter. Here, he’s a lovable nebbish named Murray
who’s renting out a perfectly willing middle-aged man, Fioravante (Tuturro), a
part-time florist who needs the cash. Still, Tuturro’s movie, intended as a
quirky romance, now runs the risk of looking like an exercise in poor taste.
Nonetheless, the movie mostly comes off as a charming jumble of sweet nothings
and gentle chuckles. As for Allen, whatever your feelings for him, he delivers
one of his best performances in years and he steals every scene he’s in.
Murray, the owner of a failed bookshop, overhears his
dermatologist, Dr. Parker (a very good Sharon Stone), musing about a threesome
with her gorgeous friend Selima (Sophia Vergara). ‘I thought of you,’ Murray
tells Fioravante and a partnership is born. Fioravante – chivalrous,
thoughtful, good at back rubs – soon finds himself in demand. The movie weakens
considerably halfway through when a Hasidic woman, Avigal (Vanessa Paradis),
beings frequenting Fioravante’s boudoir and a serious romance develops. Soon
events move into farce when Murray is abducted by angry Hasids and grilled
before a temple court. Bob Balaban plays his defense lawyer and Liv Schreiber
plays a member of the local Hasidic neighborhood watch. “Fading Gigolo” is an
improbable bit of confection. 4/21/14
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