Debutant jitters by the Don

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2013)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes, directs and stars in the whimsical tale about a pornographic addiction. Eons away in style, tone and gravity as compared to the similarly themed "Shame", "Don Jon" is a comedy drama set in New Jersey about Jon, a narcissistic young man, whose life is focused on his bulging biceps, one night stands and his addiction to porn. Dedicated to a simple few things, Jon isn't the type who looks for long term relationships. Until he meets the blonde bombshell Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson in her most charismatic role in years), who captures Jon's undying attention and slowly wraps him around her finger - making him take up a business course, fighting his small idiosyncrasies and - worst of all - obliging him to resign from pornhub...
The star of the movie excels as the straight-forward Jersey Italian, unaware of his weakness, living in denial, yet too simplistic to remold himself. The denouement, when it comes, seems however largely out of character, as Jon gains depth, complexity and self-awareness far beyond anything suggested earlier in the movie. Such a revelatory change happens plot-wise, but seems overly forced, lacking a structural backbone which can not be explained by the impact of his affair with classmate Esther (Julianne Moore).
Nonetheless, "Don Jon" is an extremely enjoyable affair, especially for its target group - men at large - uncovering some unspoken truths about masculinity. At times Joseph Gordon-Levitt's script reveals some true wit and foresight, with the last scene of Jon in a confessional a true mantelpiece of the movie, delivering a wickedly accurate commentary on the institution of confession. Slightly uneven, "Don Jon" does also mostly capture the man's point of view on the subject matter, albeit (possibly purposefully) omitting the female perspective so widely approached in rom-coms. Thankfully the comedy does so, while omitting crude sexual humour in a porn-focused movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers an admirable debut, especially with some of the manly banter and in the construction of several scenes. With time and experience (and a more subtly developed script) he may yet become competition for Ben Affleck as the most talented next-generation actor-director in America.