Here's a new male sex symbol: John Turturro & Woody Allen star in Turturro's FADING GIGOLO

Who'd have thought it? John Turturro as the sexiest guy currently on theater screens (well, starting this Friday, at least). It's true. In the new movie FADING GIGOLO, the actor/director plays a part-time florist named Fioravante, whose friend and mentor, Murray (Woody Allen), begins pimping him out as a by-the-hour lover to wealthy women in need. If this sounds a little skeevy and untoward, it turns out not to be -- for a couple of good reasons. Number one is Mr. Turturro himself, who brings such warmth, kindness, honesty and -- yes -- quiet, non-pushy sex appeal to the table (and bed) that he wins you over rather spectacularly. Number two: the prostitute here is an adult male, strong but never threatening, which removes from the equation the usual fear for the welfare of the female hooker, should she encounter a dangerous john.

Oh, and did I mention that the movie is a comedy? It's often a pretty funny one, too, what with Mr. Allen playing himself (while simultaneously giving you the opportunity to see him as the little sleaze you may imagine him to be) and delivering a number of his usual funny one-liners. As writer/director, Turturro (shown above) outdoes much of Allen's work hands down. He's more interested in visuals and composition than Woody ever was (though his cameramen sometimes were).

As a writer -- are all those lines out of Allen's mouth Turturro's creations? -- the filmmaker offers up a story that explores current and important themes: the continuing disappearance of jobs and how regular folk might earn a living off something besides health care, part-time labor and those mostly non-existent corporate profits and other investments that seem to accrue only to the 99 per cent.

When Murray's dermatologist (Sharon Stone, above) remarks casually that one of her friends (Sophia Vergara, shown at bottom) and she would like a threesome, if only they knew a willing guy, Murray goes into action and up comes Fioravante, eventually servicing these gals like a pro -- only better. Ms Stone is back to looking like the glamour gal we remember, rather than the very interesting character roles she's been doing of late (Lovelace, Alpha Dog), while Ms Vergara does her usual vah-vah-voom with expected relish.

The real female surprise of the movie is Vanessa Paradis, at right, who seems to consistently surprise with each new role (compare her work in this film with that of Café de Flore and Heartbreaker). Here she plays Avigal -- a Hasidic widow, depressed and ripe for release -- and she brings to the movie its strongest performance and a character worth knowing. The role also allows us to meet her unasked-for protector, a local cop in the Brooklyn Hasidic neighborhood, played well, as always, by Liev Schreiber (below, right, manhandling Mr. Allen), who brings his own brand of pushy strength to the proceedings, nicely counteracting Turturro's quieter model.

Sure, the movie's not great (it's somehow too thin for that) and yet, scene for scene, there's not a ringer in the bunch. Performances are too on-target not to keep us glued, while the writing is generally clever enough to have our ears alert and the direction visually interesting so that our eyes don't tire.

It is particularly good to see Mr. Allen in someone else's movie once again (this doesn't happen often), and it's always good to see Turturro in just about anything (he's appearing again soon in a supporting role in the dark comedy/drama, God's Pocket -- more of which in the days to come). The accompanying music is well-chosen and delivered, and technically everything is up to snuff.

Fading Gigolo, from Millennium Entertainment, opens this Friday, April 18, in New York City at the City Cinema 1,2,3; at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema and the Angelika Film Center.  In the Los Angeles area, the film will show at The Landmark and Pacific's ArcLight Hollywood.

To die of music: John Turturro's Italy/USA co-production PASSIONE makes NYC debut

To die of love: You've heard that phrase, right? Romeo and Juliet, etc. But to die of music? Until I'd viewed John Turturro's singular achievement PASSIONE,  I would not have imagined that possible. Now, I'm not so sure. Here we have music brought to visual and aural life so immediate and dramatic -- full of love, hate, joy and sorrow, not to mention a sexuality that is stunning in its pride and openness -- that even death not only loses its proverbial sting but seems a piker by comparison to this music. Watching Passione (just as it seemed while watching many of the Italian movies that made up the recently concluded Open Roads series at the FSLC), you understand again why -- as concerns films that breathe life from every frame -- nobody does it quite like the Italians.

Mr Turturro, shown at right, has subtitled his new film "a musical adventure" and indeed it is: 23 songs -- of all sorts -- that are quintessentially Neapolitan. From within the soul of these diverse pieces pour out the culture and history of Naples, including its many invaders, from the Greeks and Arabs to the French, Spanish, Normans and Americans -- the latter during and after WWII. The filmmaker has cobbled together his mixed "concert" with only the briefest introduction and occasional break to hand us further information. But this is enough. The music (and the performance of it) is the thing here, and it ranges from the simply good/interesting to the utterly staggering. I am trying to recall when I have seen such full-out, emotionally rich song renditions, but I come up empty.

Numbers like Era de Maggio, performed by Misia (above), accompanied by Avion Travel, with Peppe Servillo also on vocals (he's the brother of Toni Servillo; you'll spot the resemblance), and Malafemmena with Massimo Ranieri (below) and Lina Sastri are among the most dramatic, full-bodied songs imaginable. And they are sung to perfection here.

We see Signore Ranieri in his younger days, too, as a teen heart-throb, and we hear O Sole Mio performed in so many ways, including by the famous Sergio Bruni, with the beauty of the song always at the forefront.

Comme Facette Mammeta gets a rendition by Pietra Montecorvino (above) that is astonishing (it is also danced to erotic climax by a bevy of gorgeous young women). Where in the world would you see anything like this except, I guess, in Naples? Gennaro Cosmo Parlato's number -- Maruzzella -- sung at the beach in a voice from which sorrow drips off every note is another astounding piece of music and acting. Really: You just don't see/hear stuff like this anywhere else.

Perhaps the most bracing and certanly the most riveting section is devoted to Naples post-WWII, with the influx of US soldiers, some of them black. We hear from James Senese about his own intriguing history, along with his voice and sax on the title song Passione; then the section ends with an incredible combination of the old standard Al Dexter's Pistol Packing Mama and Tammurriata Nera, featuring Peppe Barra, Max Casella (shown above, center) and M'Barka Ben Taleb.

Passione is not Mr. Turturro's first musical. In 2005 he made Romance and Cigarettes -- a movie I remember enjoying quite a lot, and yet I cannot recall a single musical number from it. That will not be the case with his latest film -- the music from which is unforget-table. Given his editing skill on display here and his (and his performers') ability to make the music and lyrics live and pulsate, I can't help wondering what he might be able to do with a Broad-way musical transfer-red to film: Rags, for instance -- one of the most emotional, gorgeous and under-rated musicals to have graced the stage. I hope Turturro gets his chance to do more with music on film.
This guy's got the gift.

Passione opens this Wednesday, June 22, for a two-week run at New York City's Film Forum -- after which, I hope it plays all over creation. Click here to see the most current listing of playdates, cities and theaters. And then go see the movie.