Fioravante decides to become a professional Don Juan as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped friend, Murray. With Murray acting as his "manager", the duo quickly finds themselves caught up in the crosscurrents of love and money.
Murray, the bankrupt owner of a bookstore, is forced to close his family business. His dermatologist, Dr. Parker, dreams of having a threesome and would pay a thousand dollars to have one with her friend Selima. Murray then proposes to his friend Fioravante that they start a male prostitution business, with Murray acting as the pimp. However, when Fioravante meets a Hasidic Jewish woman, Avigal, who is the widow of a rabbi, they fall in love with each other. But a Jewish neighborhood patrolman, Dovi, is in love with Avigal too, and might make life difficult for Fioravante and Murray.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In a predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Brooklyn, elderly Murray Schwartz is forced to close his rare used books bookstore - opened originally by his grandfather - due to poor business, leaving him in financial straits, he already living in a platonic situation with an African-American single mother named Othella and her large brood of children. He stumbles onto a potential opportunity to get out of the hole stemming from a casual social conversation with his wealthy, married dermatologist, Dr. Parker. Dr. Parker and her Latina friend Selima want to engage in a ménage à trois, and want to find that male third, she asking Murray if he knows anyone suitable. Murray responds that he does - for a hefty price. Who he wants to "pimp out" is his long time friend, middle-aged Fioravante, as although Fioravante is not traditionally handsome - something that Fioravante readily admits - he knows how to treat women. Fioravante, too, is in financial straits with his only current income coming from working two days a week at a florist shop, and the occasional freelance plumbing job. To help both himself and Murray out, Murray who would get a percentage of the cut, Fioravante reluctantly agrees, with both Dr. Parker and Selima wanting to take solo test drives with Fioravante before the big threesome. Murray and Fioravante's new oldest profession business becomes a successful one, their clients, including Dr. Parker ad Selima, who adore the fact that Fioravante is not a pretty boy but a real man who focuses more on them than on himself. Although doing it primarily for the money, both Murray and Fioravante have a benevolent side to their business as Murray believes Fioravante's caring nature would benefit an orthodox Jewish acquaintance, Avigal, who has been unable to move on emotionally with her life in a holistic sense following the death of her rabbi husband two years ago. Fioravante's non-sexual service for Avigal would be under the guise of a healing massage. Problems for the business may surface as Avigal embarking on something like this would be against her orthodox Jewish beliefs. Dovi, the head of Shomrim, an orthodox Jewish neighborhood patrol group, he who is Avigal's childhood friend and who has long been in love with her, may suspect that these strange men that he doesn't know - Murray and Fioravante - have led Avigal astray, potentially into an illegal endeavor. Further complications may ensue if any of Fioravante, Dr. Parker, Selima and/or Avigal see their individual business relationship in this regard moving into a more personal one, where true feelings of love begin to emerge.—Huggo
Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone), a wealthy dermatologist, mentions to her patient Murray (Woody Allen) that she and a woman friend, Selima (Sofia Vergara), wish to experience a threesome and asks if he knows a willing man. Murray, whose used bookstore has failed as a business, convinces his friend and former employee Fioravante (John Turturro) to take the gig (for $1000), as both are short of money. Fioravante has been with Murray since he was a little kid and tried to break into the bookstore and tried to rob it.Murray tells Fioravante that Parker is attractive (round and curvaceous) and her friend is drop dead gorgeous. He adds that Fioravante has a sexual quality about him, even though he may not be good looking.
Dr Parker asks Murray to meet Fioravante before she will consider a threesome. Parker is married and says that her husband has a lot of money. Murray assures her that Fioravante is clean, no diseases and has protection.Fioravante is gentle and patient and eases Parker into the situation, who is very tense as this is the first time she is doing something like this. Fioravante engages her in polite conversation and later Fioravante even dances with Parker. Parker is married to Claude, who is a mountain climber.They end up having sex, and Parker orgasms. She pays him $2500 ($500 tip included).
Soon, Murray and Fioravante build a thriving gigolo trade with Murray as the pimp (they agree to splitting their earnings 60-40 favoring Fioravante). Murray brings in the clients from all over the city, and Fioravante services them.Soon, Murray is able to upgrade his furniture and has money to spare.
Parker meets Selima and tells him Fioravante is perfect for them. Now Selima wants to meet Fioravante for a private session as well.Fioravante takes a trade name Virgil Howard. Murray goes with Dan Bongo. Fioravante meets Selima, and she is impressed with him. Fioravante is not very pretty but is quietly confident. Selima shares a dance with Fioravante and then they watch a basketball game together. Parker calls and tells Selima not to have sex with him without her, as she is having trouble sharing.
Murray lives with an African American woman named Othella (Tonya Pinkins) and her children, one of whom gets head lice. Murray takes the boy to Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), the attractive widow of a Hassidic rabbi, for treatment. Avigal looks sad and forlorn. Murray understands that Avigal is feeling lonely and is need of companionship. Murray convinces Avigal that everybody needs "contact".Murray tells Avigal about Fioravante, claiming he's a massage healer who can help her, before taking her to see him. Being too religiously observant to even shake hands with him, she nonetheless allows Fioravante to massage her naked back. Avigal was married for 18 years. That touch, the first in two years since the passing of her husband (she was married for 18 years and had 6 kids), brings her to tears.
Meanwhile, Dovi (Liev Schreiber), who works for Shomrim, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn Hebrew neighborhood patrol, becomes suspicious and follows Murray. Dovi is in love with Avigal, but she does not encourage him. Avigal tells Dovi that she is still in mourning and needs time to overcome her grief. Dovi is frustrated as it has already been 2 years since her husband's death.When Avigal was at Fioravante's, Dovi was observing everything from a coffee shop across the street. Dovi bribes the waiter of the coffee shop to learn about Murray and Fioravante and the nature of the business they run together. During the duration of Avigal's visit, Murray was wandering outside Fioravante's apartment and trying to kill time for an hour and a half.
After Avigal leaves, Dovi meets Fioravante in the coffee shop when he comes in for a meal. Dovi says that the waiter told him that Fioravante is a plumber and asks for his contact details for a future job. Dovi later finds that Fioravante gave him a wrong number.Fioravante and Avigal meet several more times (Fioravante cooks for her, they talk), culminating in a kiss in the park. Meanwhile Parker continues to have private sex sessions with Fioravante.
Fioravante is summoned to the long-planned threesome, but he's unable to finish it. The two women cheerfully realize the truth - he has fallen in love. Murray is kidnapped by a group of Hassids, taken to a Rabbinic Court and interrogated. Meanwhile Fioravante cannot trace Murray, but the African American woman who lives with Murray calls his cell and finds Dovi at the other end, who refuses to divulge any info. Fioravante is alarmed and informs Avigal that Murray has been picked up by Hebrews.
Avigal interrupts the court and confesses to violating the laws of modesty, but nothing more, explaining she was lonely. Avigal now accepts Dovi but has him drive her to Fioravante to say goodbye to Fioravante.Fioravante understands but is depressed and tells Murray he is leaving, though he reconsiders after a cafe encounter with another beautiful woman.
