Bold comedy with a deep message underneath its satirical surface

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2016)

WoW! I am writing this review as a way of crediting Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL) for his ambition as a director. We all know him for his stellar performances as an actor in movies such as Mysterious Skin and Looper as well as the Nolan masterpieces Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. he has a great career going on there as he has repeatedly proved to be one of Hollywood's most versatile performers – he can play the villain, he can play the mastermind, he can play the sweetheart here he has chosen to mime a dumb, incredibly superficial Don Juan of the 21st century. The main character Jon is certainly not on the bright side. he keeps his life restricted to the same patterns and the same schedule as ever: working as a bartender, hitting on attractive women and getting them to bed, working out at the gym, going to church and confessing his sins and watching a lot of internet porn. It is the last-mentioned occupation that this movie revolves around, which is kind of revolutionary in itself. How do you make a movie about a topic as sordid and yet ordinary as internet porn? You have to give it to JGL – he had had an idea there and explored it thoroughly to come up with a film that investigates the consequences of excessive porn consumption. For Jon, it has become unquestioned everyday routine to raid the internet for porn whenever he feels the need. Thus, he jerks off multiple times every day and even does it after he banged a hot girl. When he gets emotionally involved with particularly attractive Barbara, played by Scarlet Johansson, he is – for the first time – confronted with the idea that his porn addiction might be something bad. But not only Jon clings to stereotypical images- his girlfriend has a hard time challenging her own romantic ideals, which are basically epitomized by corny Hollywood tearjerkers. This is a clever arrangement by JGL which endows the movie with a depth and reflectiveness you would not expect from a comedy with this plot line. The logical synthesis that transforms Jon into a decent human is represented by Esther, fabulously played by Juliane Moore. Jon comes across her during his evening courses at university and is clearly not interested at first, because she is much older and probably not attractive enough for him. However, the lady does not let go of him and tells him truths he cannot stand to hear . at first.
After the first viewing, one may not really appreciate the complexity that is underneath the surface. Initially the main characters Barbara and Jon embody clichés – he is the testosterone-filled alpha male who cannot bear criticism and she is the little princess who expects her boyfriend to do everything she wants. While Jon is gradually made to question his ideals, Barbara is not. As a consequence, Jon has changed at the end of the movie while Barbara hasn't. Another compliment to JGL for his unforced handling of a delicate topic. This is an actor who clearly does not shy away from sexual performances. He treats the topic in such an honest and relaxed way that the movie transports its message to all viewers. highly recommended.