Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore
Directed by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 30 mins
Relativity Media
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Don Jon” is the story of a man in New Jersey who cares and believes solely and whole heartedly in his body, his bachelor pad, family, God, girls and porn. And not in any particular order because, if so, porn would be in between every thing he loves. Don Jon (Gordon-Levitt) is a bartender that loves the night life, and there isn’t a night that he goes out that he returns home alone. He has no problems getting girls and they are always an 8 or better. So what’s the problem? He loves porn! He watches it any time he has a spare moment. For this reason any encounter he has is never like the clips and videos he watches. He is always left feeling unfulfilled, disappointed, still looking for that great sex!
Enter Barbara Sugarman (Johansson) She’s a “dime” — a straight up 10. Jon is in love at first sight and unlike every other girl in New Jersey she makes him work for it. No first night hook up, no one dinner date hookup. It’s meet the families, meet the friends, spend quality time. He is in love and he’s sure nothing could ruin this feeling…she’s the girl he’s been looking for to change him. But, just like every other girl, she isn’t a pornstar or anyone that gets paid for sex. He realizes this after their first encounter. Back to the porn he goes only to have Barbara catch him in the act. Heart broken and realizing the overall problem he actually has, he finds help directly and indirectly from the people around him, including his parents, played by Tony Danza and Glenne Headly, and an older woman in Jon’s class played by Julianne Moore.
This film is a very impressive writing and directing debut by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He captured a lifestyle of men that is becoming somewhat of a common problem in America and across the world. With easy access to the internet men are just a click away from beautiful, sexy, easy women. This gives men delusions of how woman act and that you can still find that one girl that will do anything but you can take home to your parents and, more importantly, to church. He details this struggle very well which makes me wonder…how much of this story is fact and how much is fiction.
The film not only shows the struggle of an addict and his consequences, it follows his story to the end. Deceit in a relationship comes with consequences. With consequences a great lesson is generally learned. Though you may have lost that love you had the lessons learned are much more important. You love and lose but you will love again.
“Don Jon” is well written with a great cast. It’s a great love story with numerous short, one second porn clips. In other words, it’s a love story that men will enjoy. Gordon-Levitt does a fine job on both sides of the camera and I will make sure to catch the next movie he decides to put his talents to.