In his review of "American Gigolo, “The entire movie has a winning sadness about it,”. "Take away the sensational aspects of the story and what you have is a study of loneliness." The emptiness that haunts Julian Kay is central to the story of a sex worker who adorns himself in the most elegant '80s couture and prides himself on knowing how to please his clients, but falls down a dangerous rabbit hole where transactions no longer exist. they can save it; he needs a real connection, and not only does Julian have few bona fide friends, he may not even know what one looks like. Facing the superficiality of Los Angeles' hottest clubs and wealthiest denizens, "American Gigolo" captured not just a man who made the moves until moves were his only meaning, but a country with the same hollow obsession. for perception.
“American Gigolo,” the Showtime series, claims in its flashy opening credits that it is “based on characters created by Paul Schrader,” the original film's writer-director. Who those characters are, I have no idea. The new show stars Jon Bernthal as Julian Kaye, and it's not just the "e" added to the end of his last name that separates this would-be gigolo from Gere. He has been given a completely different "real" name in the premiere. He is not concerned with status and is not interested in any particular way of life. And he is not alone. Not one bit.
Creator: David Hollander
Stars: Jon Bernthal, Gretchen Mol, Lizzie Brocheré
Repeating or recycling character traits is not a requirement in adaptations of the series, but completely abandoning the spirit of the original work, with no greater purpose, or any purpose at all, is bastardization for the good of the brand. Developed by David Hollander, the "American Gigolo" remake, in name only, shows no interest in a modern reappraisal of sex work, a reappraisal of Los Angeles through a character returning after 15 years in prison, or even basic respect. for women. It's another sordid crime story with a protagonist who could be anyone, as long as he's attractive, macho, and susceptible to his darker impulses. For those who miss "Ray Donovan", this may scratch the itch. But for those who appreciate Schrader's "American Gigolo," the series has nothing to do with it.
Julian de Bernthal shows up in 2006, sitting in custody and being questioned about a murder he can't remember. "I remember you waving a bloody knife, that's what I remember," says Detective Sunday (played with amiable tenacity by Rosie O'Donnell, in a role originated by the great Hector Elizondo). Through some of the show's many, many flashbacks, Julian remembers waking up next to a dead, naked woman. He panics, screams, cries and tries to run away, before the police slam into him, but he never actually waves a knife. To hell with the details, the point is made: he was caught with the victim, covered in his blood, and no one else was home.
Prodded into confessing by Detective Sunday, a mistake she barely addresses and the show prefers to ignore, Julian receives a 25-year prison sentence, and when we cut short his life behind bars circa 2021, he seems to be making the most of it. He has slicked-back hair and a well-groomed mustache. He keeps fit by doing bedside burpees. In the kitchen, where he works, he is the living embodiment of Cheers, knowing each inmate's name and offering them a warm greeting as he hands out the breakfast patties. He's even gained a reputation for being a guy who can help people, and when a desperate inmate named Drew begs Julian to talk another convict out of raping him, Julian offers some advice: "If you give him what he want, you can do it." I won't take it from you.
Soon, through more flashbacks, Julian's proposed perspective vision is explained through a horrifying backstory. Repeatedly raped by his next-door neighbor and sold into forced prostitution by his own mother, Julian became a forced sex worker. His pimp is a perky lady named The Queen, who educates young Johnny in the ways of pleasing women. She also assigns him a best friend, Lorenzo, and slips into a creepy fatherly role as she orchestrates Julian's coming-of-age milestones, like learning to drive a car or giving a woman an orgasm.
“American Gigolo” fills in these details quickly and with mind-numbing directness, as if to explain that Julian was only paid for sex because he was abused, coerced and manipulated, so the audience wouldn't see him as a person.
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