Don Jon

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson
Directed by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A New Jersey guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) struggles between his relationship with the perfect girl (Scarlett Johansson) and his love of pornography.

Review:

Tim: Joseph Gordon-Levitt picked an odd film to make his directorial debut. And, since he wrote the thing, he doesn't really have anyone to blame. Now, I'm having a little big of fun here- Don Jon is actually a pretty decent film. Gordon-Levitt shows some talent behind the camera- not a ton, but some. With more experience, he could certainly prove to be a good director. However, as far as directorial debuts go, this one is average.

Now, I suppose it took some bravery to make this the directorial debut. As the star, writer, and director, Gordon-Levitt could have taken this film into any direction he chose. He chose to embrace the somewhat controversial pornography aspects of the film. It's certainly timely, although a little hard to embrace. At first, I thought that he was glorifying pornography a bit- his main character was certainly a fan. However, as the movie went on, it explored some of the darker, less frequently discussed aspects of pornography. I loved that this film was willing to examine how watching porn can have an adverse effect on a person in today's world. I did not expect that and I appreciated it. That is something few films have tackled- what does it mean for the average young male when a limitless supply of pornography is available at their fingertips- for free, instantaneously, whenever they want? It could certainly impact some of their relationships, as this film explores.

The cast is fairly good. I liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role, although he wasn't especially likeable as a character. I appreciated his willingness to play such an unconventional character. It's hard to like him- he's so sincere and yet so full of it at the same time. There is something oddly captivating about watching him as he pursues his dream girl, and the challenge he finds keeping her. His slow realization of his pornography addiction is pretty interesting as well. His character really undergoes a pretty dramatic transformation, and that is fun to see. Scarlett Johansson is quite good as well, in an odd, humorous role. Her accent is very funny as she just fully embraces this New Jersey girl. I'm still not sure if Johansson is a good actress, but her performance here at least suggested she is capable of it. It was fun seeing Tony Danza in an unlikely supporting role as well. I have to say that I really liked Julianne Moore's performance. It was sad and believable, and I thought she gave the best performance of the entire cast. The movie features a cast that is good, but not quite great.

Don Jon is an unconventional, unexpected film. It features some good moments and suggests Gordon-Levitt does have some talent as a director. However, this is not a directorial debut that makes me think Gordon-Levitt will be a great director. I think he has talent, but I've seen far better first films from directors. In the end, this is a decent film, but it could have been better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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