by allan tong for FILMbutton

Fading Gigolo was one of this year’s TIFF films that had buyers buzzing…until they saw it. Noted actor John Turturro writes and directs this starring vehicle for himself who becomes a high-price callboy for upscale Manhattan women like Sharon Stone. Woody Allen plays his 76-year-old pimp and steals every scene he appears in. It’s a pity that more of the film did not center on Woody or that Turturro give him free reign. The premise is absurd and has the potential of hitting the comedic jackpot. Instead, Turturro plays the film as a romantic-drama stressing character study. This approach undersells the film and drains the film of laughs or even drama. Large parts of the story are simply not believable. Leiv Shreiber plays a Hassidic cop in Brooklyn which makes no sense in the context of the film. And does Sharon Stone need to pay for sex? Similarly, Woody’s black family is never properly explained, explored or exploited for laughs or warmth. Though it has its moments, Fading Gigolo is a missed opportunity.

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war.