An uninitiated spectator could easily mistake John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo for the work of Woody Allen, who here plays Turturro’s on-screen sidekick. But what distinguishes Turturro’s film from those of his legendary costar is that Turturro is able — and willing — to share. The plot does nor evolve solely around his character, while the overall atmosphere of the production, however much still watered down with the light sauce of Allenian neurosis, is on the whole more optimistic, less frantic, and a ultimately, more romantic.
Turturro plays Fioravante, a gentle electrician turned florist who, at first glance, has about as much sex appeal as an unpeeled bunch of carrots. Nevertheless, his financially ailing friend Murray (Allen) sees a chance to fill their pockets, and so convinces Fioravante his possesses a unique masculine charm. Together, they create his alter-ego: a tender gigolo (and a sex-torpedo), then enter the sex market under what they perceive as seductive and macho pseudonyms: Bongo and Virgil.
Allen, as the “Bongo and Virgil sex project” founding father is extremely charming — loquacious and distracted as usual, but probably nicer and warmer than in his own films. Turturro, meanwhile, shows off much more than his acting talent. First of all, he put together a brilliant screenplay, sparkling with wit, sensitive to situational humour and filled with catchy, quirky dialogues. He has also assemble a near perfect cast. His supporting players are particularly strong, their nuances and clashing temperaments creating a variegated, hysterically funny background against which the main thread unfolds
Indeed, while the film’s main character is a man, it’s the members of the opposite sex that prove the true magic here. Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara show a solid dose of ironic self-distance, playing, in a sense, hyperbolised versions of their popular image. Bongo and Virgil’s biggest clients Dr Parker and Selima are wealthy, powerful and mature sex-kittens, who, thanks to Virgil, can not only bring their sexual fantasies to life, but also compensate for the emotional needs neglected by their permanently busy partners.
Vanessa Paradis, meanwhile, represents another incarnation of femininity. Her Avigal is a widowed wife of a rabbi, whose life turns around after an arranged meeting with a sensitive gigolo. It is Fioravante, a man with a floral name, who allows her to develop like a bud – not sexually, but spiritually. The entire process will be watched anxiously by her neighbour, Dovi (Schreiber), a Jewish neighbourhood watch officer, who has been in love with her for over 4 years.
