Fading Gigolo review

Sweet and lowdown...

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John Turturro’s fifth film as director comes with a gilt-edged premise: Woody Allen as a would-be pimp, touting Turturro’s reluctant gigolo to horny Manhattan housewives (led by Sharon Stone).

It’s tailor-made for Allen; not only is he as funny as he’s been in years, he and Turturro make a wonderful double act, lacing a seedy-sounding script with warmth and humour.

Less successful is the muddled subplot involving Liev Schreiber as a Jewish cop and Vanessa Paradis as the girl that he/Turturro both have feelings for.

But for Allen fans, this is a flashback to past glories.

Freelance writer

James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You'll find his writings on 12DOVE and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.