'Fading Gigolo' offers slapstick and sensitivity

The breezy and sometime absurd Fading Gigolo is reminiscent of vintage Italian films and early Woody Allen movies.

Then again, the quasi-farcical film (** 1/2 out of four; rated R; opens Friday in select cities), written, directed by and starring John Turturro, features a scene-stealing role by Allen. He has some amusing moments, but it's hard not to be distracted by a few lines that seem to inadvertently refer to the recently re-surfaced accusations of child molestation against him.

When Turturro's character tells him: "You're a sick man, you need help," it's wince-inducing.

Allen plays Murray, a jittery, cash-strapped hustler with what appear to be a passel of stepkids. His relationship with their mom is left undeveloped. In contrast, his friendship with Fioravante (Turturro), a quiet florist, forms the backbone of the movie.

Murray's visit to his dermatologist, Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone), results in some decidedly off-topic conversation. The married doctor mentions to her nebbishy patient that she'd like to engage in a ménage a trois. Not with him, mind you. Murray takes this kernel of information to Fioravante and hatches a plan. In very little time, Fioravante has entered the world's oldest profession and Murray is an aging pimp with a thriving business.

Accepting Turturro as a successful gigolo requires a mental leap. As Fioravante, he points out he's not a beautiful man. No matter, says Murray, who insists Fioravante is sexy, even if he lacks classic good looks, a la Mick Jagger.

Still, it's hard to understand why women who look like Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara (who plays Dr. Parker's vivacious pal Selima) would need to pay a gigolo several thousand dollars for sexual favors. Especially one who is middle-aged and possesses ordinary looks and presumably ordinary abilities in the department called for. Yet everyone seems crazy about Fioravante, a man of few words. This ludicrous premise is where Fellini meets Allen, with a hint of vanity project thrown in.

But it's Fioravante's encounter with Avigal (Vanessa Paradis) that shows his tender side. And while there are moments of emotional connection here, they bog the film down. Paradis, a French pop star, is unconvincing as a cloistered Hasidic mother of six and widow of a revered rabbi. It's unlikely that an orthodox woman forbidden from shaking hands with a man would so quickly allow a male stranger to touch her.

Avigal's visits to Fioravante are being tracked by Dovi (Liev Schreiber), a Hasidic neighborhood patrolman who has long pined for her. His jealousy mounts when he sees her get in a car with Murray. He later confronts Murray, aided by some burly cohorts in traditional orthodox gear, in a scene that elicits one of the movie's funnier one-liners. As they grab Murray and force him in their car, he yells: "I think you've got the wrong guy — I have already been circumcised!"

What follows is one of the film's weakest scenes, as Murray must face a tribunal of angry rabbinical elders. The film appears primed to take on their strict treatment of women, but backs off.

Allen's comic timing is uneven, but when on target, it recalls his performances in Love and Death and Broadway Danny Rose. Turturro's soulful portrayal raises the level of the film, which threatens to become silly, given the outlandish story line.

Fading Gigolo, Turturro's fifth directorial effort, is a slight, comical and intermittently affecting film about loneliness and desire.

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