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Fading Gigolo

(2014) ** R
90 min. Millenium Entertainment. Director: John Turturro. Cast: John Turturro, Woody Allen, Sofia Vergara, Sharon Stone, Liev Schreiber, Vanessa Paradis, Bob Balaban.

/content/films/4676/1.jpgThe urban fantasy Fading Gigolo almost gets by on its idiosyncrasies. First, there is the setting that keeps on giving: New York City. And then, there's NYC's favorite cinematic son, Woody Allen, schlemiel-ing it up as an unlikely pimp. And let's not forget the Hasidic neighborhood watch and tribunal that threaten to derail his lucrative new business, even as Sharon Stone and Sofía Vergara angle for a ménage à trois with John Turturro's shy "ho." What, as they say, could go wrong?

But for all this, the film never quite rises above a base curiosity value. As written and directed by Turturro, Fading Gigolo is sincere and humbly ambitious, manners at odds with its farcical premise. As a result, Turturro's film is jack of two trades, master of neither. The comedy is limp, goosed occasionally by the still-funny comic performer Allen, while the drama is either unwelcome (put Woody Allen in front of a Hasidic tribunal, and it's time to cut loose, not tug the reins) or unsatisfying in its sedateness or its unlikelihood.

Allen plays Murray Schwartz, a bookseller who loses his shop to rising rent and stagnant business. While soaking up the commiseration of his florist friend Fioravante (Turturro), Murray not so idly mentions that his dermatologist Dr. Parker (Stone) wants to arrange a ménage à trois with her friend Selima (Sofía Vergara) and some stud. Parker's willing to pay a thousand bucks, Murray could sure use a commission, and, well, how about it? Though understandably reluctant, Fioravante relents for some reason, and we're off to the races.

Or we would be, if this were a Woody Allen comedy from twenty years ago. Turturro instead treats this idea as a kind of photogenic fable—or feature-length public service announcement—to remind people that sex is good for their mental health, so why not have some today? The business with Stone and Vergara turns out to be something of a red herring (plus it's difficult to accept these two as sexual neurotics who need or want prostitutes); rather, Fading Gigolo's heart resides with Hasidic widow Avigal (Vanessa Paradis, a striking presence), who hasn't felt the touch of a man in some time and languishes as a result, a notion that might be touching if it didn't feel so patronizing.

And so it goes: at times thuddingly earnest (“This is what you do," Avigal tells Fioravante. "Bring magic to the lonely”), at times, jazzily, goofily endearing (as in Allen fancying the street name "Dan Bongo" or the film’s falling action of “We’re not dead yet” male bonding). The characters, including Liev Schreiber's lovelorn Hasidic neighborhood patrolman, are established in shorthand, which undercuts all of the attempts at drama, and Turturro's romanticism keeps undercutting the humor before it has a chance to get satisfyingly irreverent. Call it comoedia interruptus.

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Bluray

Aspect ratios: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1

Street date: 8/19/2014

Distributor: Millenium Media

Milennium's Blu-ray special edition of Fading Gigolo ably archives Turturro's film. A/V specs are entirely up to snuff. Turturro's visual design includes a heavy red filtering; the bold color correction may turn some off, as other colors lack dynamism, but rest assured that this represents authorial intent. Sturdy black level and contrast underpin a transfer that excels in detail and texture, pluses when putting New York (in both locations and tony interiors) on film; indeed the source here is 35mm film, which also gives the transfer a nice texture of its own. The lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio isn't much tested, but it too provides some nice New York ambience around the clear, clean dialogue. Music also benefits from the fullness and clarity of the mix.

Bonus features include an audio commentary with John Turturro and Turturro's assistant Cameron Bossert. The dynamic duo (and few are more wired than Turturro when it comes to talking film) discuss all aspects of the film from inception to post-production. Six "Deleted Scenes" are mostly outtakes or alternate scenes, comprising "Alternate Opening" (1:19, HD), "Woody Improv" (3:05, HD), "Sharon in Bed" (2:21, HD), "Blaaagh" (:25, HD), "Stepping on Woody's Toe" (:57, HD), and "Jazz Club—Original Cut" (2:54, HD).

Review gear:
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 55" Plasma 1080p 3D HDTV
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
Denon AVR2112CI Integrated Network A/V Surround Receiver
Pioneer SP-BS41-LR Bookshelf Speaker (2)
Pioneer SP-C21 Center Speaker
Pioneer SW-8 Subwoofer

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