FADING GIGOLO
Starring John Turturro, Woody Allen, Vanessa Paradis
Directed by John Turturro
You usually have to go to Lars von Trier to get a sex romp this sombre. However, whereas the Danish provocateur employs a dour emotional palette to illustrate his cynical worldview, the solemn timbre of John Turturro’s latest effort as a writer-director seems at odds with its gentle and optimistic disposition.
In fact, the synopsis will have most viewers wrongly anticipating an uproarious comedy. It’s certainly the natural response to the idea of mild-mannered Fioravante (Turturro), a part-time florist, reluctantly being pimped out by his bookish buddy Murray (Woody Allen). And while Fioravante performs admirably for his first client (Sharon Stone) – who’s testing him out for a threesome with her best friend (Sofía Vergara) – he gets tripped up when he falls for Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), a devout, modest Hasidic widow. Sigh. Didn’t he learn anything from Pretty Woman?
It’s ultimately Allen who acquits himself best here; with his erratic directorial efforts over of the past few decades leaving him well-practiced at selling weak material. Alas, Liev Schreiber isn’t nearly so fortunate. Despite having effectively played a soulful heavy in Goon, he never manages to find a compelling angle to his role as the head of the Hasidic neighbourhood watch who carries a flame for Avigal. (Granted, he’s not aided by the fact that this seems less a fully realized character than rough notes for a Michael Chabon short story.)
Unfortunately, there’s little pleasure to be drawn from a sex dramedy that’s constantly fumbling and struggling to establish a rhythm. The film eventually works its way to climax but it’s unlikely to leave anyone particularly satisfied.
