Review of Don Jon (2013) by Chrystian H — 28 Mar 2014

I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Let that be said. The first time I remember seeing him was in (500) Days of Summer, which also happens to be a film I'm quite fond of. From there, Levitt broke out overcame his label as an "indie darling," since then being in films such as Inception, 50/50, and The Dark Knight Rises.

But if you're reading this, I imagine you already know who Joseph Gordon-Levitt is, because if you're reading this, I would assume you're interested in his new film Don Jon, and if you're interested in Don Jon, I would assume it's because it is the first full length feature that JGL wrote and directed himself. And that's very exciting.

Don Jon plays out like a funnier, less dense, more lighthearted Shame, and also features 100% less of Michael Fassbender's penis. And this is a very good thing.

Don Jon, on a base level, is about a man with an addiction to pornography. But the film's true motive is to provide on a commentary on how media of all types influences us and the way we live and experience life.

In the film, Jon is quite the ladies man, and has no shortage of women in and out of his bed. But at the end of the day, not even the real thing measures up to porn for him. And who can blame him? In today's world, you can't look left or right without seeing someone half naked and trying to sell something. Even women's magazine have scantily clad celebrity women on them, handing out sex tips. And who wouldn't want to know how to please Megan Fox?

The idea here, though, is that the world presents sex to us now as this big, exciting, crazy, out of control visceral thing. It's easy for people to forget now that the reason that we can even have sex is so that new people can occasionally come walking out of a woman, so that the world can keep turning. And when sex is had just for the having, it very much resembles a beached fish flopping about frantically on a downed tree branch; not very interesting, and sort of weird. In porn, the sex on display may be loud, exciting, and with things going on that you'll need Urban Dictionary to understand, think about why these people are having sex. For money, it's how they make a living. If it didn't look good, no one would watch it. They're called adult actors for a reason. So, having been exposed to this grand idea of what sex is, and having been introduced to it at younger and younger ages, it's no wonder that Jon, and I'm sure other real young men, are somewhat disenchanted with real sex, constantly shifting from girl to girl, looking for the one that is going to make all of their fantasies a reality.

Which brings us to our next point, because Don Jon doesn't only have things to say about men. It's no secret that the main demographic of porn is men, but let's remember here what is somewhat easily forgotten; the definition of pornography.

Pornography - the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.

Where in the film Jon is addicted to internet pornography, Barbara, played by Scarlett Johansson, is equally as enthralled with chick flicks. In the words of Jon himself, from the trailer, "The pretty woman, the pretty man, the first kiss, the break up, the make up, they drive off into the sunset.".

So where as Jon is disappointed that women won't fellate him adequately, Barbara is just as surprised that Jon won't drop everything in his life to tend to her every whim, as so often happens in those sort of Sparks-esque romance films. It's not her fault, it's just what she is presented with from the media as a young woman. Where as men may be more drawn to grand sexual fantasy, women are more interested in grand romantic gestures, and when we are presented with them so much, over time it certainly warps and distorts our of idea of how things should be. It's just the way it is. The film presents these themes and develops them in a short hour and a half running time. No padding, just the right amount of time. And while the film may have repetitious elements, it all serves the greater purpose of the ideas the film is trying to convey.

The film is certainly thought provoking, but there are also technical elements on display of great worth, namely the transformation of both Levitt and Johansson into these somewhat trashy Jersey Shore types, which is only so jarring because Levitt is a lovely little man in a sweater vest, and Johansson an elegant, classic beauty. To me, they are Tom Hansen and Natasha Romanoff. So to see Levitt pumping iron in a wife beater, and Johansson so heavily made-up, both with the rediculous Jersey accents is incredibly bizarre, but as it is presented, completely believable. Unfortunately. I live in New Jersey, and there are actual people like that. It's horrifying. Send help.

However, while the film is really fantastic, especially for a directorial debut, I wouldn't say it's perfect; if not just because its themes and ideas aren't eye opening and groundbreaking. Not to imply that every movie should do that, but I wouldn't say that it is news to me that men like big boobs and girls love true romance. If it had gone a little deeper than skin deep in exploring the ideas, the film would be headed to true greatness for me. But the film is presented in a charming, compelling, and interesting enough way, and so that I would definitely recommend the film, assuming that you are of the sensibilities where short clips of pornography and nudity won't offend you horribly and send you running for the door. That would be silly.