Fading Gigolo
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''Fading Gigolo'' is a 2013 American
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed, written by and starring John Turturro. The film, co-starring
Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
, 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 The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. ''The Fifth Estate (film), The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and ''Life of Crime (film), Life o ...
. It was given a
limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
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 A () is a domestic arrangement or committed relationship consisting of three people in polyamorous romantic or sexual relations with each other, and often dwelling together. The phrase is a loan from French meaning "household of three". ...
'' 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 A gigolo ( ) is a male escort, call boy or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifestyle consisting of a number of such relationships serially rat ...
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 Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
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 Aida Turturro (born September 25, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Janice Soprano on the HBO drama series ''The Sopranos''. Early life and education After graduating from high school, Turturro earned a Bachelo ...
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 The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. ''The Fifth Estate (film), The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and ''Life of Crime (film), Life o ...
on September 8, 2013. It received a limited release in the United States on April 18, 2014.


Reception


Critical response

''Fading Gigolo'' received mixed reviews. On film aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, 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". On another website,
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, it has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on reviews from 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Geoffrey Macnab of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' 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." 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. Catherine Shoard of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' praised Woody Allen's performance, stating that "Turturro has given Allen his biggest and best on-screen turn in years". Stephanie Zacharek of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' called the film "a breeze, enjoyable both for its sweetness and its unapologetic silliness".


Box Office

The movie grossed $3,769,873 domestically and $18,936,431 in other territories giving a total gross of $22,706,304.


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fading Gigolo 2013 films 2013 independent films 2013 romantic comedy films 2010s American films 2010s English-language films American independent films American romantic comedy films English-language independent films English-language romantic comedy films Films about gigolos Films about Jews and Judaism Films about male prostitution in the United States Films directed by John Turturro Films produced by Bill Block Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City