[Movie Review] Don Jon (2013)
Plot Summary: A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Runtime: 90 min
Main Cast:
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Don Jon
- Scarlett Johansson as Barbara
- Julianne Moore as Esther
- Tony Danza as Jon Sr.
- Glenne Headly as Angela
Review: by Anthony and Lee
Going into Don Jon, we knew it was a movie about a porn addict, written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. We are certainly fans of JGL, and were excited to see what he could do; although, we were apprehensive about the subject matter.
What We Liked:
The acting was solid all the way around. The New Jersey accents were spot on; but, it was a little strange coming from Scarlett Johansson. Glenne Headly and Tony Danza were instant favorites as Don Jon’s parents. Every scene with them was great and believable. We particularly enjoyed the Sunday dinner scenes and the fact that each dinner was a traditional Italian pasta.
The writing was great. Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a fantastic job, especially for his first time. The story covered a complete character arc, and all of the main characters involved were flawed and believable. It was particularly interesting to see the characters try to rationalize their faults to each other. JGL, in acting, writing, and directing, went a long way in developing the character of Don Jon, and the way that he showed porn’s effects on Jon was very skillful and subtle.
What We Didn’t Like:
From a moral standpoint, we knew going into the movie that it had the potential to be off-putting for us.
We didn’t really see the need for the inclusion of Jon’s confession habits, since it served only as a criticism of the Catholic church. We are not Catholic, yet, while we did not view it as a criticism of Christianity in general, we do not much appreciate unnecessary bashing of any religion.
Apart from the religion aspect, we felt that Jon’s ultimate realization about the negative nature of porn was based in the wrong reasons. Jon’s character rationalizes his addiction by saying that he was not cheating on his girlfriend, but we believe that porn is actually infidelity. He also says that all men watch porn, which isn’t true and is a detrimental portrayal of the integrity of men. It’s like saying all men cheat. Neither is true, but they are said so often that people begin to use them as crutches. If the aim of the film was to show that porn was negative, which we feel it was, the film should have directly conveyed that this sentiment was false instead of implying that only porn in excess is unnatural.
Finally, the excessive use of porn clips was a little uncomfortable to watch, especially as a married couple.
Summary
The film is technically sound, even great. The acting and writing were genuinely good. From a moral standpoint, however, it was difficult to enjoy.
User Review
( votes)You can purchase Don Jon on Blu Ray from Amazon here:
Images Courtesy of IMDB
