Fading Gigolo

{{Infobox film

| name = Fading Gigolo

| image = Fading Gigolo poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = John Turturro

| producer = Bill Block
Paul Hanson
Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte

| writer = John Turturro

| starring = John Turturro
Woody Allen
Vanessa Paradis
Liev Schreiber
Sharon Stone
Sofia Vergara
Tonya Pinkins

| music = Abraham Laboriel
Bill Maxwell

| cinematography = Marco Pontecorvo

| editing = Simona Paggi

| studio = Antidote Films

| distributor = Millennium Entertainment{{cite web|last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |url=https://deadline.com/2013/09/toronto-fading-gigolo-sells-for-3-million-to-millennium-films-581729/ |title=Toronto: 'Fading Gigolo' Sells For $3 Million To Millennium Entertainment |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Business Media |date=September 9, 2013 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}

| released = {{Film date|2013|09|07|TIFF|2014|04|18|United States}}

| runtime = 90 minutes{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/fading-gigolo-film | title=FADING GIGOLO (15) | publisher=British Board of Film Classification | date=March 19, 2014 | accessdate=November 6, 2014}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $22.7 million{{cite web

|title= Fading Gigolo Box Office Gross

|work=Box Office Mojo

|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2639300097/weekend/|accessdate=November 24, 2019}}

}}

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, Loan Chabanol and Eugenia Kuzmina premiered in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/fadinggigolo |title=Fading Gigolo |access-date=August 7, 2013 |publisher=Toronto International Film Festival |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816005731/http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/fadinggigolo |archive-date=August 16, 2013 |df=mdy }} It was given a limited release on April 18, 2014, and received mixed reviews.

Plot

Dr. Parker, a wealthy dermatologist, mentions to her patient Murray Schwartz 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 as a business, convinces his friend and former employee Fioravante 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 and her children, one of whom gets head lice. Murray takes the boy to Avigal, the attractive widow of a Hasidic rabbi, for treatment.

Murray tells Avigal about Fioravante, claiming he's a massage healer who can help her, before taking her to see him. Being too religiously observant to even shake hands with him, she nonetheless allows Fioravante to massage her back. That touch, the first in two years since the passing of her husband, brings her to tears. Meanwhile, Dovi, 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 he's unable to finish it. The two women cheerfully realize the truth—he has fallen in love. Murray is kidnapped by a group of Hasids, 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 goodbye. Fioravante tells Murray he is leaving, though he reconsiders after a café encounter with another beautiful woman.

Cast

John Turturro as Fioravante
Woody Allen as Murray Schwartz
Sharon Stone as Dr. Parker
Sofía Vergara as Selima
Vanessa Paradis as Avigal
Liev Schreiber as Dovi
Eugenia Kuzmina as Olga
Tonya Pinkins as Othella
Max Casella as guy at counter
Aida Turturro as driver's wife
Bob Balaban as Sol
Michael Badalucco as burly driver
David Margulies as Chief Rebbe
Aurélie Claudel as tai chi woman
Loan Chabanol as Loan

Release

Fading Gigolo screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2013. It received a limited release in the United States on April 18, 2014.{{cite news|last=McDaniel|first=Matt|title=Sharon Stone Cozies Up With Sofia Vergara in 'Fading Gigolo' Trailer Premiere|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/sharon-stone-opens-sofia-vergara-fading-gigolo-trailer-234223654.html|accessdate=February 11, 2014|website=Yahoo! Movies|publisher=Yahoo!|date=January 8, 2014}}

Reception

=Critical response=

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".{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fading_gigolo/ |title=Fading Gigolo (2013) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=May 29, 2020}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fading-gigolo |title=Fading Gigolo Reviews |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |accessdate=April 16, 2014}}

Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent gave the film three out of five stars, noting that "Turturro's trick is to take stereotypical characters and to portray them in an offbeat and surprising way."{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/fading-gigolo-film-review-john-turturro-directs-new-york-story-in-sweet-and-jazzy-key-9421256.html|title=Fading Gigolo, film review: John Turturro directs New York story in sweet and jazzy key|work=The Independent|first=Geoffrey|last=Macnab|date=May 22, 2014|accessdate=June 27, 2018}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/toronto-festival-review-fading-gigolo-1200608688/|title=Toronto Film Review: 'Fading Gigolo' |work=Variety |publisher=Penske Business Media |accessdate=June 27, 2018 |first=Peter |last=Debruge |date=September 12, 2013}}

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".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/09/fading-gigolo-toronto-review-john-turturro-woody-allen|title=Fading Gigolo: Toronto 2013 - first look review|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media|accessdate=June 27, 2018|first=Catherine|last=Shoard|date=September 9, 2013}} Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice called the film "a breeze, enjoyable both for its sweetness and its unapologetic silliness".{{cite news |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2014-04-16/film/fading-gigolo/full/|title=Fading Gigolo: John Turturro and Woody Allen Charm in a Brooklyn Sex Comedy |work=The Village Voice|first=Stephanie|last=Zacharek|date=April 16, 2014|accessdate=June 27, 2018}}