Gordon-Levitt’s directing debut a sexy hit
In Joseph Gordon–Levitt’s debut as a screenwriter and director and lead, Gordon–Levitt plays Jon, a muscular stud from New Jersey who only cares about specific aspects of his shallow life such as his family, partying, women and his friends. All of these connections to other people are severely strained by his addiction to pornography. Through flashy montages, Gordon–Levitt shows the differences between physical, real–world lovemaking and the gratification of watching Internet pornography.
During sex, Jon must deal with another woman while pornography does all the work for the viewer. Sex is complex and provides disappointments while pornographic images and videos are a simple click away. Porn provides a fictional representation of sex that has warped Don’s view of women and intercourse. He sees a woman, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), in a club one night and says she is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. He says “thing,” not woman, which is key. He has a strong desire to have sex with her, but she wants a man that is looking for more than physical attraction. Her ideas of love and relationships have been filtered by media, too. Her pleasure derives from romantic Hollywood films. Barbara makes him go to lengths that he would never consider before. While taking night classes at her request, he meets a middle–aged woman named Esther (Julianne Moore). He forms an unlikely bond with her, a woman who seemingly has nothing in common with him.
A large part of the enjoyment of “Don Jon” is watching characters whose lifestyles are so different from many of those in the audience. Jon’s views of the world, his relationships with women and even the way he looks and dresses are eye–rolling but frighteningly accurate. There is an uneasy truth to his vapid nature. Part of the uncomfortable aspect of watching these characters is realizing how they are not that much different from the viewers, even if their lifestyles are markedly different. Everyone might not be a perfectly toned and shaped man or woman, but most people have struggled with connecting with others and finding meaningful relationships.
Gordon–Levitt is hilarious as Jon. The way he talks and even the way he walks makes the character a superior comic creation. Johansson is equally good, doing what all great comediennes do: she is not afraid to make herself appear idiotic and unlikeable. She always looks gorgeous and flawlessly put together, but she is even more vain and egotistical than Jon.
As with most films, Moore only makes it better. The world the film has shown before she comes into the story is foreign to many viewers, but Moore grounds the film in a reality. She pulls Jon’s head out of the clouds (or maybe the gutter). Barbara is an empty woman and Esther is a broken woman, but Barbara provides Jon with passion and connection.
Gordon–Levitt has made a frank and riotous comedy that shows he is not only one of the better actors of his generation but that he is a promising screenwriter and director.