Don Jon





Directed By: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Rob Brown, Glenn Headly, and Brie Larson

Over the last couple of decades, the Internet has revolutionized the way we do things.  It's changed the way we communicate, the way we shop, and even the way that some of us satisfy ourselves.  Yes, the Internet has made porn more widely available and has helped meet many men's needs when the women in their lives apparently aren't doing so.  The impact of this couldn't be overstated.  It certainly plays a role in the disconnected nature of our society as well as the lower marriage rate today.  After all, it's the biggest union of technology and masturbation since the invention of sex toys.  People are simply getting their happy endings from whatever videos they find on the web.  In his directorial debut in Don Jon, talented actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt satirizes Internet porn and what it's done for many, many dissatisfied men.

Jon Martello, Jr. (Gordon-Levitt) loves only a few things in life — his body, his pad, his ride, his family, his church, his boys, his girls, and especially his porn.  While out with his boys one night, he meets a girl in a red dress and is instantly infatuated with her.  As enamored as he is with this girl, Don Jon can't close the deal on this night.  He doesn't take her home.  He doesn't get her phone number.  He doesn't even get her name.  Far more prone to one-night stands than actual relationships, Jon decides to do something different and actually pursue this girl.  He learns that this girl's name is Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) and asks her out to lunch.  Soon thereafter, Jon and Barbara begin dating. 

Given his new relationship, Jon starts spending less time with his boys and a whole lot more time with his girl.  The two lovers introduce one another to their friends and families.  As for Jon's family, his mother Angela (Glenne Headly) is elated to hear that Jon is in a committed relationship as it makes the notion that she will someday have grandchildren a little more plausible.  His father Jon Sr. (Tony Danza) is perpetually immersed in some football game but impressed by the beautiful lady Jon brings home.  Finally, his sister Monica (Brie Larson) is equally immersed in whatever she's doing on her smartphone that's more important than everything else happening around her.

Jon and Barbara each come into their relationship with baggage, with an addiction.  For his part, Jon loves Internet porn and jerks off to it constantly.  He's so addicted to watching porn that he loves it more than having sex with an actual woman.  Believing Barbara to be the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, he thought things would be different when he slept with her.  When they finally do have sex after a month of dating, Barbara doesn't quite live up to the high standards of internet porn.  For her part, Barbara is addicted to romance movies and wants her love life to be just like what she sees on the big screen.  She demands that anyone she dates change to meet her fantasy, and Jon is feeling the brunt of this right now.  When Barbara learns that Jon watches porn, she demands that he never do it again. Given that he continues to do so in secret, their relationship slowly hurdles toward ruin.  Meanwhile, Jon meets an intriguing older woman named Esther (Julianne Moore) at a class in which Barbara enrolls him.

I've got good vibrations about Don Jon.  As writer, director, and lead actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is everything in this movie.  As far as the screenwriting is concerned, Gordon-Levitt delivers a sharp, witty comedy that satirizes the deleterious effects of Internet porn and sugary Hollywood romances on real relationships and real sex.  From the director's chair, Gordon-Levitt proves he's learned a thing or two from watching directors at work for the last couple of decades.  Here, he's crafted a sexy, edgy comedy full of happy endings.  This film will endlessly delight you.  From an acting standpoint, Gordon-Levitt delivers a confident, hilarious performance as this character Don Jon who struggles to find a way to meet his sexual needs in a healthy way.  All in all, watching Don Jon is watching the consummate film professional at work.

Beyond Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon has an outstanding supporting cast.  First and foremost, we have Scarlett Johansson as the sexy and seductive Barbara Sugarman.  Though she takes a diva turn in the film and gives us a pretty bossy girlfriend, her raw sensuality on screen is what defines her performance.  She's just too hot for her own good.  We also have Tony Danza as Jon's dad.  One funny father and football fanatic, Danza once again proves that he's the boss as he watches his son become a man.  We have Brie Larson as Jon's sister Monica, a girl whose phone is attached to the palms of her hands at all times.  She gives a disconnected performance where her body language says it all.  In her one line of the movie, she delivers the most insightful remark of the film about her brother's relationship with his demanding girlfriend Barbara.  Finally, we have Julianne Moore as Jon's discerning classmate Esther.  As usual, Moore delivers a strong performance and gives us a woman who's been through some rough stuff and can help Jon along his sexual journey.

Incorporating porn addiction, fantastical notions of romance, class issues, and even the digitalization of life itself, Don Jon plays on one major theme — disconnectedness.  Whether tackling sexual maturity, breaking down the Hollywood dream romance, or learning how to step away from electronics, Don Jon hinges on the fact that these characters are disconnected because of what they see on the screens of their smartphones, televisions, and laptops.  In this film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has deftly satirized much of what's wrong with society today, and I have to say that I'm thoroughly impressed with his work as a writer, director, and actor.  I'm equally impressed with the cast he's assembled here.  Don Jon gets a 0.03% rating.  Have some wine coolers with this one.