#HotGuyProbz

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2013)

#HotGuyProbz could be a fitting alternate title to Don Jon, a film that examines a man's complaints about his favorite hobby. Younger men often acquire a reputation of being sex- craving animals. The topic of pornography is on display as blatantly as Mr. Levitt can possibly make it. There's sex, there's boobs, there's Scarlett Johansson's voluptuous figure (Johansson is the Marilyn Monroe of our generation).
Levitt's directorial work is focused and carefully executed, while his screenplay is a fun little vehicle. Together those aspects create a mature film about masturbating if there ever was one. The stylized "man dream" and use of repetition grows tiresome by the conclusion, but you'll be glad you saw the film for its honesty about sex. Mr. Levitt comforts women wanting mature men by telling them that men are capable of growing up and have the ability to love the way they want them to with a little guidance.
The cast ensemble is outstanding. Taking the lead role, Levitt acts with great ease and the slickness we know he's capable of. Tony Danza gets a few scenes, which he uses to his make his character wildly memorable. Julianne Moore elevates any film she signs onto, no different here. She's an ally to Mr. Levitt's film; however, at times she is not as quirky as the character is meant to feel. The bulk of Moore's scenes take place as soon as Johansson exits the picture, which may explain my "friendly-from-a-distance" response to Moore.
The film's brightest and most clear star is Scarlett Johansson. Her casting in a selection of her previous films can be thanked to her beauty and sexual aura, not because Johansson was the best choice for the role. Consequently, she often is bland, but here she couldn't be more fresh. She mixes up her usual laid-back beat and jumps on her character with a hilarious accent and embodying the shady side of Barbara's psyche. It's her best performance and may be the reason the film signals a depression once she is no longer predominate to the plot.
Grade: B+
Rating: 7