Fading Gigolo

If you’re going to write a Woody Allen comedy, you might as well give Allen many of the best lines. So John Turturro deserves at least that much credit when it comes to Fading Gigolo, an occasionally mischievous but mostly innocuous sex comedy he wrote and directed.

Some of the banter between Allen, playing an unlikely pimp of sorts, and Turturro as his protégé, provide the main highlight in an uneven effort that contains some big laughs even as it struggles to find a consistent tone.

Allen plays Murray, a fledgling Brooklyn bookstore owner who sees a chance to make money through Fioravante (Turturro), a lonely florist who nevertheless has a way with women. Determined to capitalize on his friend’s rugged masculinity — “You’re disgusting in a very positive way,” he says — Murray arranges a deal with an amorous dermatologist (Sharon Stone) for cash in exchange for a potential threesome that also involves her impulsive friend, Selima (Sofia Vergara).

So begins a business venture between the two guys, before taking a more serious turn when Fioravante meets Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), a Hasidic widow who needs a serious relationship more than a quick fling, which would violate her strict religious principles.

Turturro, back behind the camera for the first time in almost a decade, tries to craft a heartfelt look at middle-aged romantic impulses amid socioeconomic volatility, which leads to a sense of desperation. It has moments that are both funny and poignant, and deeper than you might expect. However, the script is overloaded with quirks and calculated mannerisms to generate much meaningful sympathy.

In a rare acting appearance for another director, Allen is in his neurotic and stammering comfort zone. He has a breezy chemistry with Turturro, and his interaction with the young children of his black girlfriend is consistently amusing.

All three of Fioravante’s women give alluring performances in change-of-pace roles, especially the understated work of French actress Paradis (The Girl on the Bridge).

The old-fashioned film is evocative of its Brooklyn neighborhood with its multicultural tension, but mostly stays centered on a batch of characters whose charm feels more forced than earned. In other words, in its indirect attempt to pay tribute, it’s like some of the lesser efforts in the Allen catalog.

Rated R, 90 minutes.