A dirty-minded comedy from a very likable actor.

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2013)

When you picture Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his overly impressive resume, the last thing you picture is him as a porn addict. This fact is just part of what makes his latest movie, Don Jon, a total blast. Don Jon, in which Gordon-Levitt wrote and directed himself, places the actor out of his comfort zone, which is just one reason to see it. Another is because, well, it is a damn good movie.
Gordon-Levitt plays the title character. Jon is a muscular pervert, basically. he sleeps with plenty of women, but yet he doesn't get enough pleasure out of it. He actually gets far more pleasure from watching porn. So, watching porn is exactly what he does. When Jon meets his dream girl (Scarlett Johansson, looking as gorgeous as she always does), he even then can't move past the porn.
That is the movie, in summary form. But there is plenty more to it than that. JGL has written a hell of a script. Don Jon starts off as a dirty comedy, and slowly transforms into a film with a purpose. I like a movie like that. I like a movie where it ends in the complete opposite way it began.
Don Jon is the one unpredictable movie, and proud of it. JGL doesn't want to succumb to the Hollywood cliché. He has written a genuinely funny script here, and for the audience, it is hard to believe he had this kind of movie lined up. This is a movie with a dirt mind, but yet it has quite a bit of heart. That said, this is one of the stranger comedies in recent years.
Also, everyone nails their roles. JGL is excellent, but he isn't the only one who succeeds. Tony Danza, yes, Tony Danza, is terrific as Jon's dad. Also excellent is Julianne Moore (well, I think that went without saying) as a lonely woman who attends night school with Jon. Top notch acting all around.
I feel like I give a 9/10 a lot, but I just can't seem to find anything 10 or 8 worthy. I apologize. But Don Jon deserves it. Is it a great movie? Not quite. You feel as if the movie should go on and on, and whenever it is over, it just doesn't feel quite right. It is not like the ending is bad, but it is just a little abrupt. JGL has made a very good movie, and I am looking forward to whatever he brings out next.
A-