Unrealistic Expectations

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2013)

As you watch or re-watch this movie, ask yourself or list the unrealistic expectations that each of the characters present. Does Don Jon even have any, or are all the unrealistic expectations those forced upon him by everyone else? Maybe his problem is that he has no expectations of his own and he doesn't attempt to force his "rules of the correct way to live" on anyone else (other than when he's driving). I saw him as being generally feckless and extremely pliant; if this is correct, an examination of how the central theme of this movie got so conflated should ensue.
"Under a torrent of unrealistic expectations from everyone but his priest, his sister, his classmate, and a friend, Don Jon attempts to find happiness on his own terms without pretext or presumption but is unable to escape his predicament because he puts his own happiness above the things that society defines as happiness."
Society has many "relationship rules" (human interaction generally and romantically specifically) and many are just wrong.
Another good list to make, or drinking game to play, would be to identify each of these rules and if they really need to be followed without exception; and why.
It was Einstein who said that insanity is unexamined repetition and here we have a case where not only are the "games that people play" left unexamined, but the context itself is wrong-headed!
I'd love to list the rules that I Spotted but that's definitely a Spoiler now that I've given the milk and the context away for free but it's nothing a swiffer sweeper couldn't Clean-up.