Fading Gigolo, the fifth directorial effort from John Turturro, began as something of an inside joke. With the rough idea of a film about a ménage-à-trois dancing around his head, Turturro idly suggested to his barber that he should make a film in which Woody Allen played the pimp to his prostitute. The story goes that, a few days later, Turturro received a phone call informing him that his barber had relayed the idea to Allen, another client of his, who immediately fell in love with it. With the backing, encouragement and significant creative involvement of one of the greatest comedic minds in film history, Turturro’s simple idea for a project blossomed into a curious, quaint and deeply enjoyable film.
The initial concept was fleshed out to a story focusing on Fioravante (Turturro), a florist and former sales assistant at the recently closed down bookstore owned by Murray (Allen). Murray learns of his shrink Dr. Parker’s (Sharon Stone) desire to one day have a threesome, and seeing the opportunity to earn a little money for both he and his cash-strapped friend, eagerly enters the world of pimping. With a little persuasion, Fioravante agrees to take the job, and choosing the names ‘Dan Bongo’ and ‘Virgil Howard’ they embark on a journey through the world of high-class male prostitution in New York City.
The strength of Fading Gigolo lies in its remarkable cast, most notably the two leads of Turturro and Allen. Both possess an incredible screen presence that has served them their entire careers, and continues to do so here, carrying them through certain scenes that otherwise lack the necessary laughs or emotional connection.
A promising opening act soon descends a little once the story gets wrapped up in the character of Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), an orthodox Jewish widow whom Fioravante and Murray feel they can help. Under the suspicious watch of local law enforcement officer Dovi (Liev Schreiber), the pair’s successful business starts to unravel, as does the film itself.
It is apparently the storyline with Avigal that Woody Allen had the most creative involvement, encouraging Turturro to expand on her character’s presence in the film. Whereas there is nothing wrong with these scenes, it does feel like two separate films existing simultaneously. One being Turturro’s: a charming romp through the world of middle-aged sexuality, and another, Allen’s: an examination of the peculiarities of the Jewish faith, particularly with all matters sexual.
Its main fault, which for me is also its principal strength, lies in the fact that it doesn’t easily sit in any one genre. As such, it was difficult to market, and even with Woody Allen’s presence, didn’t perform particularly well at the box office. Those who purchased a ticket expecting an all-out comedy would have been disappointed. There are plenty of laughs, particularly in scenes with Allen and his family, but not enough to warrant the frankly misleading marketing campaign behind the film. But this is the world we live in: the objective is to get people into the cinema, not make sure they’re satisfied walking out of it.
John Turturro’s directorial career, albeit a relatively short one, has already shown his choices behind the camera are as eclectic as his roles in front of it. The in-demand actor looks as comfortable in Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise as he does in any number of Coen Brother’s films (playing wildly different characters in The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Miller’s Crossing). His heterogeneous directorial choices can be seen in his previous two films, 2005’s Romance and Cigarettes, a working class musical starring Kate Winslet and James Gandolfini, and Passione (2010) an exploration of the musical roots and traditions in Naples.
He is clearly a director with an eye for original storytelling and a true passion for his craft. Fading Gigolo might not be for everyone, but it is nonetheless an entertaining and unique film that brilliantly displays the comedic talents of its two leads.
Fading Gigolo will be shown at Broadway Cinema from Friday 11 July to Sunday 13 July 2014.
Fading Gigolo Official Site
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