User Reviews

Only reviewing it after the pilot, but it's dark, punchy, very interestingly paced and overall attractive. Camerawork and music are good, some moments where past blends with the present are especially notable because of that like the one In the second half of the pilot, where our protagonist is visiting his mother. It does sound like an interesting story, but it's also nice to watch. Hard to tell how it will develop further, but start is very, very promising. American Gigolo presents very specific, dark vibe that is lasting after you have finished the episode. I will follow this show and even if it loses momentum, I recommend watching the pilot for this very vibe.

The only three things going for this show are the decent cinematography, Jon Bernthal, and Rosie O'Donnell. The plot tries to be intriguing at first, but now that I have watched all of the episodes, I find it rather dull overall and not worthy of its movie predecessor. The two subplots are ultimately unsatisfying. The series does get us through it with the subtle macho charisma of Julian, endearingly played by Jon Bernthal who is a very charismatic actor himself. He is not as pretty as Richard Gere but his stares and head tilts are smoldering to say the least. He is the perfect reincarnation of Julian. Then we have Rosie O'Donnell as the new Sunday, who provides some comic relief to the dialogue. It works for me and I like her performance. All of the other characters unfortunately come off as unlikable. And the use of clip montages gets a little extreme. Overall, this series is a lot of style, not much substance, but you get a little bit of both from Bernthal, and that is enough to recommend it.

Bernthal does a good job channeling Julian, if you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about, the walk, the gestures, when he tries on his new age early 80s suits that were all the rage back in 1980, he even gives a nod to Breathless 1983 with the broken heart tattoo on his chest, ala Jesse Lujack, aka Jesse Burns aka Jack Lee Burns, the moola is in the coola, lol. The MG convertible nod to Breathless this one being Oxblood Red vs the Candy Pink one in Breathless.

He has put in his work and it shows if you know what to look for. It's refreshing to see the back story especially with the Swedish madam now Asain, it all makes sense why she was upset with Julian in the movie, she feels she gave him his new exciting life and it's hers to destroy, the daughter Isabelle should be interesting to watch, mom was ruthless and cold, as ruthless as Leon and Madame Malibu were in the movie. And as far as people complaining about frivolous things like the Mercedes now being a Jag, the music, that's what happens in interpretations of a movie 42 yrs old, why not update and change a few things, the Mercedes is only a $14K car now vs $100K plus for an E type Jag so I'm glad they switched it up lol. There's not much to dislike, as it goes along Emmett Walsh comes in, character development and more protagonists than a bad dream with good plot twists to the story and Gretchen Mol, O Donnell and Bernthal? Need I say more?

Another reviewer thinks they needed an actor that is good looking and women would want to sleep with...obviously a man. Well they found that man. Jon Bernthal is not only a fantastic actor, but he is extremely sexy and I love his looks. I would not turn him down and I doubt many women would.

I saw the original movie with Richard Gere, and in his day he was the right choice for the role. Jon Bernthal is today's right choice for this role. Give it a chance, and you will see what is so obvious to everyone else. This is a hard and gritty film to watch but Jon Bernthal and cast handle it well. Jon is very convincing at the beginning when he says he does not remember anything. I have always found his acting strong and convincing.

I think this is a show that'd be enjoyed better watching as a whole. The premise is pretty intriguing, I'd call it original but it's based off a movie of the same title. Basically you get what you expect from the trailer so it delivers on that end. It also gives off a modern day 80's aesthetic. I still think it could be better though, it's slow paced but when the next part of the story is revealed it doesn't feel worth the wait, almost like it's following a generic flow. Also not entirely invested in Julian which I think could help. Jon Bernthal often plays the same sort of character in all his roles but he's so great at it so no complaints there, and he embodies Julian really well. For everything that he's experienced in his life his character feels shallowly written, it dips it's toes at the deep stuff but never properly explores them, just glimpses and flashbacks of his memories; it'd be much more captivating drama. The premiere episode started off great, couple episodes in now and it needs to deliver on that. It's very promising, always feeling like it's building up to something and I'm hoping it delivers, hopefully not too late because it starts off really dark and promising and it'd be disappointing if halfway across the season it's still is...only just promising.

Update: Done with the show now and Jon Berthal does most of the heavy lifting, I think Lizzie Brocheré deserves mention too. It's a pretty decent show and it doesn't fluctuate so there are no lows but not highs either. The feeling you get at the beginning of the season is what you get through to the end. There are twists end turns, mystery, murder and love stories, but as much as I liked the characters I didn't feel as invested. It's a good watch but I can't think of anything to remember the show by. I loved the ending, not the most mind blowing but it felt believable and it leaves no loose ends or questions. I think it'll be better as a miniseries because of that, the writers could prove me wrong if it's renewed, but I can see season 2 feeling like a drag or just forced.

This series continues to suprise me the further I get. First, you can't go wrong with the creator of Ray Donovan at the helm. And second, it is always captivating not one boring moment.

Jon Bethernol usually seems to play the same actor but in this he emulates Richard Gere so well and there's times where he looks just like him.

It's a very layered shows with a lot of things going on (in a good way) to keep the viewer compelled.

This series is absolutely fantastic and insanely bingable. Well done and bravo.

Ignore the negative reviews and watch the first episode and you'll thank me. Great rendering of a remake.

Is this show going to win any awards? No. But did I enjoy it enough to binge it all in 2 days? Yes.

I found it entertaining and an easy show to watch, Jon was great in it. Rosie was amazing, bringing comedic relief to a non comedy can be cringe but it was done so well.

People complain about the flashbacks but I didn't mind them at all. It shows what the character is thinking about in that month.

Feel very sorry for the main character in this, and to be honest there are a lot of "oh that's so silly" moments in the show, but I've given it a 7 for entertainment value and good acting. And Shirtless Jon. That helps.

Bernthal isn't Gere, but he is every bit as handsome. And, since that day on Walking Dead when he shaved his head with his shirt off, he has been noticed by every woman with a television screen.

What I like about this series is the background on Julian supplied by the writers. It acknowledges the smarminess of lives of sex workers in a way that that upends the fantasy in movies. Sadly, most sex workers have endured enormous childhood abuse that teaches them how to turn off in intimacy. Because they couldn't trust the very people who were supposed to care for them as children, they learn at an early age just how unsafe it is to be themselves.

The first episode shows us exactly where Julian feels safe. He likes prison because he has food and shelter, and he understands the rules. If something bad is going to happen, he goes to his safe place. Freedom brings him a lot more problems. He isn't sure he can be free as a gigolo, but he knows he can make a living at it.

This series is about the vulnerable Julian. It has promise.

First I need to confess I started to watch this only because of Jon Bernthal. When a show has The Punisher in it, you need to stop, watch and listen.

Leaving the jokes aside, I watched the first 3 episodes and kind of lost interest after that.

The premise is good and I think choosing Bernthal for the role was a right choice, however I don't like that he's too tamed/nice and kind of a little b**** compared to all the women in the show who are all portrayed as strong boss b****s. I mean this is a general theme in nowadays shows/movies but it just does not fit well in this kind of show in my opinion. Also the story is kind of a bit lackluster and somewhat cliché-istic.

Overall I think this had potential but it was not enough to keep me interested and I won't be watching the rest. I gave it a 6/10 since it has Jon Bernthal and it is not a terrible show, some people might enjoy it more than me.

Great cast, solid story! Exceptional TV series! Can't wait for the next episode. Good character development as well. This has the potential to be a regular series. The main character has more than enough substance to carry the weight of the show as do the supporting roles! Its time to see the leading actor shine because his role in The Walking Dead was cut short.

Enjoy this roller coaster and hang to this RIDE. You won't be disappointed. Just wish the network would release the first two episodes in the same day. Gotta wait to see next week's cliffhanger. So grab your drinks and snacks for this new series from Showtime!

Please watch the first episode b4 making any rash comments!

American Gigolo is a Showtime series that stars Jon Bernthal who plays a gigolo and at a young age was sold to a mistress by his mother. He is accompanied with Wayne Brady to serve their master to whomever the mistress arranges for them. One of the ladies ends up dead and Jon serves 15 years for a crime he didn't commit and ends up getting acquitted. Rose O'Donnell played Detective Sunday, she was the one who put him in jail but yet she was the one who has her eye on him. The storyline evolves around Jon, his upbringing and all the troubles he has ever been in. Her falls in love with Gretchen Mol and she ends up marrying Leland Orser while he was serving his time. The series was a couple episodes too long and kept repeating the past and it became too redundant. This was an ok series produced by Jared Leto and Jerry Bruckheimer but with these names it just didn't carry well. The series is not associated with the 1980 movie by the same name that Stared Richard Gere. I don't see myself watching it again.

I mostly enjoyed this show up until the final 10 minutes. The motives for the murders are poorly explained making the conclusion weaker than it should have been.

There's also parts of the story that don't bear any critical examination: the sudden release from prison with no lawyer involvement, Julian's conviction, his not suing for wrongful conviction even when the detective admits significant mistakes to his face, the double doping of Julian by Isabelle and Janet, parish's motives toward Olga, Sundays reunion. It feels like either the scriptwriters weren't quite up to the job or the editors left too much on the cutting room floor.

Then there's the casting, Bernthal is a decent enough choice, perhaps slightly too much of bruiser looking guy for the character. Mol gives a flat performance, as always. O'Donnell is a poor pick for a poor character, Rosie doesn't ever really act she adjusts the volume of her own personality, if her nip\tuck character was her turned to 11 here we see her at 3. Moreover the detective Sunday character is a walking cliche, badly written and actually almost entirely superfluous to the story. Brochere does what she can with another badly written character, complex motivations boiled away to cartoonish levels.

Perhaps 7 is generous but 6 would be low, it's inbetween. But don't be too put off, it's decent enough but not one that you'll be rewatching at any point.

The Mercedes 450SL is now a E-Type Jaguar!, That sort of says it all. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the Paul Schrader movie. Why don't they just make a new series? They could use some of the ideas from the original "American Gigolo". It is watchable, just forget the title, and consider it a new crime Drama, it may turn out to be good. I will probably continue watching. It really bothered me that when we head the Blondie song "call me" he is not driving the Mercedes. Why did they have to replace it whit the E-type? There a bit of confusing flashbacks that get you distracted, but I hope the next episodes will give a better understanding of the whole picture.

... but there are way too many flashbacks and the reliance on flashbacks to tell your story is an indication of sloppy writing or a tight budget. I hope as the series goes on the flashbacks will be fewer and far between. Other than that it's an interesting story with the Rosie O'Donnell making for a good detective although she seems out of place in Los Angeles and has more of a New York flare to her investigation.

I'll stick with it and keep watching until the end though.

Now I will add some more characters to the review so the IMDB editor allows it to to be posted - Thank You - The End ....

I didn't plan on watching this, and I didn't think I would like it. I'm not a Bernthal fan (far from it) and I didn't like the original movie. However... it was a good night to too be lazy to find the remote and turn it off. It came on and for the first few minutes I rolled my eyes a lot watching the prison cell and prison yard scenes that begin the pilot. To be fair the first five minutes are trite, boring and typical of that type of scene. Then there's a twist I didn't see coming and I found myself riveted even though the pacing took a bit to find its sea legs.

This isn't Richard Gere's American Gigolo. Not even close. The plot in the original was thin and the movie was, let's face it, more about seeing Gere without a shirt on than anything resembling edge of your seat action and suspense. This version varies a bit from the original, which is about the "gigolo" fighting to prove his innocence. This begins with Julian/John (Bernthal) being unexpectedly released from prison after confessing to a crime he doesn't remember, but isn't sure he didn't commit. (I hope this isn't considered a spoiler - it is info that is in the description).

It is overall, darker and seamier, better directed and features better cinematography and pacing than the original. I don't know if they will continue to deviate with the "storyline" of the original, but we'll see. I usually despise lots of bouncing around with timelines, but this is very well done and I didn't get lost and wonder what timeline I was in at any point. Also, the glimpses of Julian/John's past really help drive the story and help you to know who he is and why he is the way he is. The scene where he goes home to visit his mother switches back and forth seamlessly and yet I was still both revolted and sad as the director intended I be. Don't worry, if you like beefcake, there is plenty of that for all of us ladies.

I mentioned I don't much like Jon Bernthal. I never have. I have actually avoided watching him in the last few years because I found his acting coarse, and one-dimensional and every part over-acted. Put it this way: his casting in the starring role guaranteed this wasn't on my fall watch list when it otherwise would have been and if they hadn't killed him off in the Walking Dead I probably would have stopped watching. Having said that, I am seeing another side of Bernthal that is either a product of seasoning and experience, better directing, or I just missed it before.

Whatever it is, the show has promise and that elusive je ne sais quoi that makes for tv gold. We'll see...

They got the original song, big get. The actors were top notch. I thought Gere was the only one who could play this part but the new guy kills it, embodies Richard. Rosie was the only severe disappointment, cost them 2 stars. Just zero there talent, a blank wall. The story is good, compelling but dark. Lays the groundwork for the movie. Art is born out of struggle. Julian becomes an artist. He is bought and sold his whole life. It gives depth to the character that wasn't there before. Good music. Good sex. I'll watch it. It will be interesting how they roll it out. If they keep it fun and stay away from agendas.

I love John Bernthal. I like everything he's in except this. I loved him in the Walking Dead and Punisher.

It seems like a good third of every episode is flashbacks. They have flashbacks from the same episode, two episodes ago, the first episode, etc. I already watched it. I don't need to watch it five more times. And the romance flashbacks are exhausting. I don't need to see 30 of them. Show one or two flashbacks. This series should have been 3 episodes.

The scenes with the mother seem exaggerated. We getbshe lives in squalor. It seems cliche.

All in all the show could be much better if not for a few issues.

Less of a review, more of a comment.

Every player in this drama is knocking it out of the park.

The vulnerability and truth Jon Bernthal infuses into his character puts every bombastic superhero picture of the past 20 years to shame; broken yet hopeful, poor yet wealthy within, flawed yet beloved. He gets it.

Every episode - so far (I'm writing this after episode 5) - is phenomenal. I especially love the way the side characters like former friends and prison buddies link in to the grand tapestry of the story.

Big shout out to Rosie O'Donnell as Det Sunday - this character deserves a spin off, maybe the new Columbo.

Everybody involved should be proud of their contribution.

His shoes are not trying to be filled I know but all that's happening for me so far is wishing to see the panther.

I know JB is a fine actor so will push on and see how the writing is.

It will be interesting where he takes it. What's going on with these long reviews ???

I must go down to the seas again To the lonely sea and the sky And all I ask is a tall ship And a star to steer me by And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied

I hope American Gigalo will be poetry like the original...

Will get back when Ive watched a few more episodes.