Review of Fading Gigolo (2013) by Alex H — 02 Aug 2014

Thanks to an amusing premise and the chemistry between Turturro and Allen, Fading Gigolo offers some fun laughs. However, I came away feeling slightly disappointed and wishing for just a little more. While I didn't care much for the lonely jewish widow storyline, Fading Gigolo is a heartfelt attempt at deconstructing loneliness through sex and companionship in general.

Whether this is from the relationships between "Virgil" and his clients or between the relationship he shares with his pimp "Dan Bongo". Unfortunately, the film loses it's pace and direction during the second act and a fruitless, somewhat contradictory, ending only sours the picture further.

Despite these setbacks, Fading Gigolo showcases Allen's finest septuagenarian role, well selected music and beautiful cinematography reminiscent of the work of the late Gordon Willis. Not bad, but I expected more (Not to mention it's more likely that Turturro would pay Sofia Vergara and Sharon Stone for sex, rather than the other way round).