Is It Better Than Porn?

Rating: 9/10 (29 September 2013)

It seems like the most popular thing to do these days for actors is to make their own directorial debuts. It's never been such a trend until now (probably) when actors saw that Ben Affleck has garnered quite a bit of success as a filmmaker. Everyone from James Franco to Cate Blanchett to Ryan Gosling- I find it a little annoying, but hey, that's just my opinion. Anyways, atop numerous directorial debuts, this one belongs to a young man named Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Don Jon explores the issue that is porn addiction, and believe it or not, people, it actually exists just like sex addiction. We follow a guido-like character named (Don) Jon (played by JGL) who usually has his way of women. He lives through a strict work-out schedule, balancing it with his daily porn and a night out at the club to pick out the next skank. This casually patterns his life until he unexpectedly meets a "dime" (perfect/"10" woman), Barbara who's played by none other than Scarlett Johansson.
Now, right from the get-go, a film with as edgy of a plot is bound to stir controversy, and so, it's no surprise that there's been a noticeable backlash against the film by- most likely- conservative critics. I'm assuming not everyone's comfortable with viewing a man enjoying masturbation or countless clips of pornography, but I guess it's not that easy to keep an open mind either. Contrary to what those shallow individuals claim, I loved the film, especially since it satirizes romantic comedies and incredibly narrow-minded gals and men, which overtly inhabit our society in its present state. The film essentially and cleverly points out how closed-minded people really act these days. Frankly, I consider women with impossibly high standards in the looks department much sluttier and repulsive than the ones who "do it" with a wide range of folk. The film explores such truly meaningful and relevant themes; people simply possess too high of standards nowadays, and it's this desire for what we perceive as pure perfection in a significant other.
A considerable amount of females habitually watch romantic comedies, and thus, leave the movie theater with this dreamy hope that someday they'll find a Channing Tatum. On the opposite side of the spectrum, lots of males consistently view porn because they lack that kind of excitement in their sex lives. After enjoying aggressive penetration (please don't mind the graphic language) in their pornographic material, they wholly expect a similar outcome for their upcoming night, but they're constantly disappointed. So, both genders ridiculously grab onto these unrealistic expectations in the end. Just dial it back on the over-reliance on physical looks (that's what I call a real slut/whore in my dictionary) and just get to know a human being- talk to them and balance out your preferences for god's sake. These similar issues can be witnessed in Jon's and Barbara's relationship as both cling on to their own expectations for one another and proceed through a bumpy road.
Moving on from a major element of the film, the feature also benefits from terrific editing as it rhythmically cuts through an abundance of porn clips which coincide with Jon's daily schedule and progressing story, and it's this bouncing back between various activities and material at a fast pace that makes Don Jon that much more appealing. In addition, the film certainly has its fair share of exceptional performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt (his character, himself, is fascinatingly complex and something different), Tony Danza (playing his father whom I believe gives one of the best supporting performances of the year in its sheer authenticity), Scarlett Johansson (sporting a convincing New Jersey accent), and Julianne Moore (who contributes a dramatic tone to the film's later half). On top of that, the script/dialogue feels utterly genuine where you're strongly entertained and immersed in these realistic conversations that Woody Allen's films became popular for.
And with that, here I'll have to digress with this strange issue critics develop towards films with occasional tonal shifts. How, in any way, does a shift in tone conflict with quality? Yes, I understand if a silly, over-the-top comedy becomes a grim and touching drama, but if a satirical comedy (in case you didn't know, it's not really as funny as a dumb, simple comedy because of the underlying- usually unfortunate- reality behind it) becomes a heart-felt drama and finally forms a sense of seriousness and misfortune, it's not that big of a deal! Every (good) comedy eventually reaches that point in its plot where the themes begin to pour out more clearly, and that's what happens in Don Jon's last half. Don't get me wrong; the film is uproariously hilarious, but it gets serious and matter-of-fact right when it needs to. Life's not all fun and games- believe it or not- and intelligent films usually carry more depth than elementary sexual and crude humor (not referring to Don Jon's style of humor).
Albeit a slightly abrupt and inconclusive ending, you suddenly start to realize perhaps that's the whole point. Life doesn't have a definitive climax to it unless you call death a climax. It's great for a moviegoer to have the kind of standpoint where you believe you're entering a specific period of an individual's life- it's only that part and nothing else. It's like the camera just decided that this was the most interesting segment of their life and decided to peak in during that span and then called it quits at the right moment. Furthermore, I absolutely recommend Don Jon to those who take film seriously as an art form, not as a basic medium to only lie back and experience some dumb fun with. So far, we're off to an amazing start for this fall.