Joseph Gordon-Levitt can do it all. Not only is he one of this generation’s top actors, but now he is bidding for approval for his work behind the lens with the release of his directorial debut Don Jon (which he also wrote and starred in).
Levvitt plays a Jersey Shore type Guido named Jon Martello, Jr. who guys by the nickname Don Jon. He is your typical Italian guido, keeping his family close to his chest, keeping his house tidy, and going out to the clubs and scoring chicks that are pushing double digits on the male “scoring system.” He’s always able to get hot girls back to his place, but this isn’t enough for Jon. You see, he’s got a bit of a addiction to porn, and its really starting to affect his love life.
Jon constantly relies on porn to get off, even just moments after getting lucky. In a well crafted scene, Levitt shows us the mind and process of Jon, not holding back in any way, shape, or form. Just the sound of his Macbook gets him “hard”, since it means he’s one step closer to obtaining his ultimate rush. We see him overload on hardcore images of porn, to the point where you’re not sure whether to laugh, feel disgusted, or sorry for him. Levvitt doesn’t hold back on us, but he crafts these porn showing scenes with a light eye that appreciates the hilariousness of the topic.
Jon always goes to church on Sunday, confessing his sins of per-marital sex and masturbation, absolving it with a few prayers and hail marys while he works out at the gym. He follows this up with dinner with his family: a colorful group of characters that include his loud football loving father Jon Sr. (Tony Danza), his mom Angela (Glenne Headly), who just can’t wait for Don to find a nice girlfriend to bring home, and then his sister Monica (Brie Larson) whose role is almost silent, as she quietly observes her family, and toys away at her phone.
While out with his buddies Bobby (Rob Brown) and Danny (Jeremy Luc), Jon meets the drop dead gorgeous Barbara (Scarlett Johansson). For the first time in his life, he isn’t able to seal the deal instantly, as Barbara is not the type of girl. She’s the type that forces him to play boyfriend. As you can guess, this will be hard for him, especially once his porn addiction comes to play, and believe me, it does.
Don Jon starts out rip-roaringly laugh out loud funny, with a brisk, light, feel-good pace delivered by Levvitt. It’s not all fun and games though. Don Jon shows moments of heart and sincerity. No surprise, considering it is Levvitt behind the lens. He knows when to pull the punchline, as well as the emotional punch. There are some awkward scenes with Julian Moore that end up having more significance than I ever could have expected. Levitt handles everything with a steady hand that is both enjoyable and a refreshing change of pace.
For his first film, Levitt proves he is a perfectly capable director who has been in this business long enough to know what he is doing. He takes a rather controversial topic with porn and turns it into something lighthearted and funny (although not to say that he doesn’t explore all the dirty avenues). The script is smartly written giving life to these characters, which were expertly casted. Scarlett Johansson really pulls off her Jersey accent, with an attitude. Tony Danza and Glenne Headly are a perfect pair to play his parents, and Brie Larson almost steals the show, almost without saying anything (when she does, it’s an awesome payoff). Lets not forget Mr. Director, JGL, who plays a Guido far too well. It was hard not to laugh at the sight of him playing this character, but that’s only because he nails it. It takes some time getting used to seeing him play this character, but over time you’ll forget its him behind that accent.
It’s a fun comedy that will have you laughing but also will have you thinking. Jon’s addicting to porn is a reflection of our societies addiction and reliance on technology and the quick fix to enjoy life. Without it, we are unable to truly connect with one another. It’s an important point, but thankfully its a message that Levvitt successfully conveys through comedy, not hitting us over the head with it. With enough warmth and sincerity, he is able to deliver on all fronts, creating a very enjoyable film that is going to be one of the more talked about and quoted films of this fall.
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