Don Jon Reviews

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut is very original, very funny and very strange. The story starts out stronger than it finishes, but it is fun nonetheless. Despite its somewhat dissatisfying ending the film's acting is good, the directing is solid, and the screenplay is well written. This is a funny and original movie that is definitely worth seeing.

The supporting characters are barely more than caricatures, but, wow, you really have to commend a character piece with such a vivacious, forward momentum.

Don Jon is yet another reason why great actors make great directors. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's passion/vanity project is a wonderfully offbeat look at disconnections in relationships, and how the "typical" perceptions of sex differ between men and women.
JGL shows a confident ability behind the camera and in front of it. He's managed to get solid performances out of costars Scarlett Johannson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza. When spoken by the cast, JGL's dialogue flows in the same manner as a Scorsese or Tarrantino film, which is mighty impressive.
Ending on a deliberately ambiguous note that - spoiler alert - criticizes and undermines the usual climax of sappy romantic comedies, Don Jon is smart, thoughtful and doesn't shy away from the reality of its subject matter.

"Don Jon" is the directorial debut of Joseph Gordon- Levitt; who as of recent, with a string of great choices in his favor, has become one of my favorite working actors. This film is proof positive that he is also a helmer to watch with this smart little gem concerning addiction in our "always-connected" present.

Gordon- Levitt is terrific here playing a guy who should come of as an unlikable sleaze, but doesn't (not many actors could pull that off). As per usual JGL wins you over with charm alone; though it's undeniable that it takes a bit of time to warm up to his character. Scarlett Johansson is great as the object of Don's affection who just so happens to have an "addiction" of her own, and Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, and Julianne Moore are equally strong as Don's parents and an eccentric older woman respectively, the latter of which may just kick Don's habit for good.

Make no mistake, "Don Jon" is most definitely a first feature, though one made by a guy who has been around the business long enough to nail the basics (and he does). This most definitely isn't a bad thing, and I commend the film and Gordon- Levitt for tackling such material in such a light, entertaining, and accessible fashion.

Sure, there's a sense that the film could have taken it's cultural taboos further, and it could have even fleshed out it's key characters more... but that's not the precise observatory piece that Levitt wanted to make. The one he did however is damn good in it's own right!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of the most talented and, yeah I'll say it, dreamy young actors working today is proving to be more than a pretty face. Don Jon is his assured writing and directing debut, and it shows that every man has one more reason to feel insecure compared to Gordon-Levitt. The titular Jon (Gordon-Levitt) is a New Jersey Lothario who sleeps with lots of women but the real thing just can't measure up to his porn. The schism between reality and sexual fantasy is too much. Jon tries to reform his porn-addiction ways when he meets a hot lady (Scarlett Johansson) but old habits are hard to break, especially when he has to wait before sleeping with a woman. The narrative isn't terribly deep but remains entertaining throughout, buoyed by feisty performances and stylish direction. The editing, sound design choices, and smooth camerawork made me feel like I was watching a promising Scorsese student. I found Don Jon to be a far more successful look at sex addiction than the recent sex addict drama, Thanks for Sharing. The parallel between porn and Hollywood rom-coms, both an inflated fantasy of relationships, doesn't really stick, and Jon's family is a bunch of loud Italian stereotypes, but the lead guy is a self-possessed lunkhead anyway, so it makes sense for his family to follow suit. Don Jon is funny, sexy, and an enjoyable diversion at the movies. What it really does, though, is provide the first notch in what may prove to be an exciting career as a director for its star.

Nate's Grade: B

A kind of "Trainspotting" meets "Shame", Joseph Gordon-Levitt impressively takes on the role of writer, director, and lead. Though noticeably amateurish in his direction and only mostly skin-deep in its exploration of such bold themes, "Don Jon" radiates energetic charisma much like its main character. Unfortunately, about halfway through it seems to run out of steam and shifts from being a fairly piercing satire of sexuality in the media (both public and private), to being more or less the exact type of cliched romance movie that the entertaining anti-hero proclaims he hates towards the beginning. Overall, JGL holds the film together admirably for his first time doing this much heavy lifting, but the struggle is very apparent. Like a runner who doesn't know how to conserve energy, "Don Jon" sprints out of the gate only to reach the finish line exhausted and out of breath.

Daring, controversial, and downright raunchy at times, "Don Jon" is a bit of a letdown compared to my expectations and the pedestal that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has put himself on. I do feel that he has a knack for Directing now, but stay behind the camera if you want to do that, because at times it does feel like he is a little full of himself. The nods at Hollywood humour, the symbolism, and the nice story that this film displays is very bittersweet and funny, but by the end of the film it kind of doesn't know what to do with itself and it just ends abruptly which left me very unsatisfied. Watching Jon's transformation out of being a porn addict was pretty fascinating, due to the awesome editing techniques and fast-paced storytelling. "Don Jon" is not among the best of 2013, but it's a very very enjoyable picture. I had tons of fun watching it!

'Don Jon'. All a little too cliched and preachy at a superficial level for me. Julianne Moore's the only thing I liked about it.

"To me pornography is...spending all of your money and not educating the people in America, but spending it instead on weapons." - Bill Hicks

If "Don Jon," is supposed to be a comedy, then why does it feel more like a lecture about the objectifying of women vis a vis pornography? A lot of that has to do with Joseph Gordon-Levitt showing much more talent in front of the camera than behind it in his directorial debut, leaving Brie Larson to steal the movie by simply rolling her eyes, probably the first time someone has done so since 1927.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Jon, a bartender, who goes cruising nightly with his wingmen(Jeremy Luke & Rob Brown) to nightclubs to pick up women for one night stands.(At least, he practices safe sex.) After which, he masturbates to online pornography. All of which he confesses at church on Sunday, somehow without any Catholic guilt. Said cycle being broken one night when he runs into Barbara Sugarman(Scarlett Johansson) before she rejects him. That does not stop him for long, however, as he stalks her on Facebook and gets a second chance.

As clumsy as the movie is, what truly prevents it from making a grand statement about pornography is that it can work both ways and it being so easy to write off Jon as a shallow jerk. In any case, he simply watches what turns him on, not the other way around.(If he was deeper and smarter, he would probably watch PBS before falling asleep.) At the same time, the movie is not smart enough either to try to dissect romantic comedies while it has the opportunity, as one character gives up much too easily.

And here I was afraid that my biggest problem with the movie would be potential New Jersey stereotypes.

Though certainly crude beyond some people's comfort at times, Don Jon also presents relevant themes that are emotionally engaging. Combine these themes with smart writing and humor, as well as excellent performances, and Don Jon turns out to be a great directorial debut from Joseph Gordon Levitt.

So the tagline for Don Jon is "everyone loves a happy ending", which is ironic, because that's one of the few things JGL's debut lacks. It's smart, it's funny, it's incredibly ambitious. It has some really artistic style and believable, solid performances all around (most notably Tony Danza, who I loved in this). All Don Jon seems to lack is a satisfying ending. Now I didn't want the boy and girl ride off into the sunset tripe the lead character hates so much. I just wanted the resolution the script seems determined to be building on to be a little more clear. Another minute of voice-over, a little descriptive of the possible future, something. For a movie filled with so many climaxes, the viewer can't help but feel ultimately unfulfilled. It's hard to not make it sound like I didn't love the first 85 minutes of JGL's debut, because there's a lot of great stuff here. I just wish the end left me walking out remembering what I liked, not what I didn't.

Media has the power to absorb anyone into a fantasy world merging it with reality possibly losing oneself in that fantasy forever. It's not a new area for films to explore a character misconception against what is truthful, but here's another film that explores that area successfully. Don Jon brings it voice into such an issue fulfilling in being a boldly funny sex comedy with equal intelligence to match.

Don Jon is about the titled character unrealistic expectations from watching porn working to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love. What Don Jon gets right is acknowledging the unreal expectations of love women obtain from romance movies and unrealistic sexual fantasies men get from porn. Unfortunately the first is only brought up without much an in depth analysis. Once presented it is clear what symbolism one of Jon potential love interest is meant to present. Critiquing how some will mistake lust for love fueled by fantasies one can criticize this shallow plot element. However, in execution it goes to show how unreachable the expectations set by the character themselves. Attempting to replicate their fantasies by any means constantly falling into overexposure to that fantasy. With reality constantly disappointing them they struggle to recognize makebelieve is nothing more than misconception. This point is made ever more present by the film Italian and New Jersey stereotypes. These characters stereotype reinforces how some of us be taken the same way when viewing a film. Some would past the intended stereotypes as lazy writing, but goes with the theme of characters failure to live in the real world.

The porn addiction is tackled nicely seeing how it affects Don Jon on a regular basis. We see what fuels his addiction in a narrative structure relying heavily on repetition. It plot contains numerous scenes of Jon going to church for confessions, Jon having dinner with his family, Jon watching porn, Jon going to the gym, and Jon cleaning or contemplating what to do in his house. In essence the film theme delivery can be consider heavy handed , but was necessary when tackling an addiction. Bringing to point the cause of the addiction from Jon lack of priorities striving to achieve little, an ordinary home life, a couple of real friends who he hangs with, and a way with the ladies. Triggers influence from his lifestyle and those who he interact causing Jon to find reward in his addiction. Finally, presenting a difficult to reach solution from his obsession consume in a fantasy he's unable to differentiate between love and lust. Showing a repeated cycle is difficult to breakaway from no matter the addiction.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a master of three trades not only having written a brilliant film, but showed confidence in his directing and another showcase of stellar acting. Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrayal reveals a mix of confidence and insecurity, cluelessness and knowingness, and eventual "self-discovery". He makes us both laugh at him and feel for him. As a director he allows performances to flow naturally selling drama and delivering laughs. Levitt even uses repeated shot composition to further his theme in a wise decision. The music is loud and out-front sometimes like the soundtrack in Jon's head, the thundering electronic for him picking up women in the club, and the "romantic" full orchestra music for when he's with his one true love. Scarlett Johansson embodies her role as the trophy-Girl, not just with looks and shallowness, but hints of a truly lost and unsatisfied person living in her situation. Saying allot with very little words. Julianne Moore ably demonstrates the disappearing effect of age gracefully revealing that there is much more under the tender shell. Glenne Headly and Tony Danza are great often delivery the most laughs. Brie Larson plays Jon's texting-obsessed little sister with subtle mastery of facial expression, not saying a thing until it's really time to. Also involve are wordless cameos from Channing Tatum, Anne Hathaway, and Cuba Gooding. Expects to see plenty of pornography on screen and few instances of editing so fast you might get a seizure when viewing the film.

Don Jon proves Joseph Gordon Levitt is a triple threat in the writing, directing, and acting department. He gets layered performances from a well chosen cast and carries the film in more ways than one. Joseph Gordon Levitt already established himself as an actor, now he does the same with writing and directing in a excellent debut. Creating a sex comedy that is as funny as it is smart.

An uncomplicated romance complicated by a pornography addiction, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Big Phat Italian Comedy presents a modern-day Don Juan tale but with more R-rated, ahem, spunk. Yes, it's a cheap joke about a film that - given that it's written and directed by a bona fide H'Wood It Boy - could've very well ended up to be a cheap joke. Instead, filmgoers find a meticulously thought-out and shot romantic satire with a razor-sharp eye and wit aimed at the unrealistic expectations we place on modern love. Oh, and let's not forget the fiery letter-perfect performances.

In this R-rated dramedy, a New Jersey boy dedicates to family, friends, and church develops unrealistic expectations of women from watching too much porn, so he works to find happiness and intimacy with a potential perfect match.

After a lifetime in the business (from co-starring in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun as a kid to playing the 16th president's son to Daniel Day-Lewis's Lincoln under the direction of Steven Spielberg), Gordon-Levitt sure picked up a lot of industry tricks. It seems to be his standout turns in back-to-back-to-back critically loved blockbusters Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Looper, however, that most inform his feature directorial debut. Confident, calculated, and complemented by some ace cinematography, he doesn't rely on shaky handheld camerawork but assured and stabilized Steadi-cam framing and crackerjack transitions.

Bottom line: Don of the Fêted.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt directorial debut Don Jon has built up a considerable amount of hype since it premiered at Sundance film festival earlier this year, and for good reason. The idea of Gordon-Levitt playing a porn-obsessed womanizer almost sounds too good to be true. Don Jon isn't quite the light-hearted romantic comedy that the trailers suggested though, and it ends up being a dramedy that, despite being fairly entertaining throughout, tries a little too hard to be insightful.

JGL plays Jon Martello, our self-pleasuring protagonist whose appreciation of casual sex is rivaled only by his passion for pornography. He engages in his pornographic pursuits at least three times a day, but his new girlfriend Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) isn't quite happy about that. Her vice is watching cheesy romance movies, the kind with Channing Tatum and kissing in the rain and the unreasonably handsome guy always getting the preposterously beautiful girl in the end. Jon and Barbara's disgust with each other's hobbies clash in a vulgar battle-of-the-sexes that illustrates the unrealistically high expectations that men and women hold for each other in relationships.

Gordon-Levitt does an impressive job in the lead role and, although his character can seem self-centered at times, Levitt manages to give him a layer of vulnerability beneath his macho exterior. Scarlett Johansson is the acting highlight of the movie though, and she really shines as Barbara Sugarman. Sugarman is undeniably alluring, but as the movie progresses it becomes increasingly clear that she's an even more flawed character than Jon is.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt also works wonders from behind the camera, and he gives the movie an interesting and surprisingly ambitious style as director. He frequently makes use of fast-cuts and repeating visual elements and sounds, such as time-lapse shots of Jon making his bed and the sound of his laptop starting up. These stylistic choices give the movie a surprisingly confident feel for the work of a first-time director, and make it clear that Gordon-Levitt is a director to keep an eye on in the future.

The single complaint I have that made Don Jon good rather than great is that the first and second halves of the movie don't belong together. The first half is the shallow but goofy and enjoyable comedy that the trailer promised, in all its raunchy and pornographic glory; the second half, on the other hand, is an entirely serious affair that takes the plot in a bizarre direction and takes on a surprisingly bleak tone. It's clear that Joseph Gordon-Levitt wanted the audience to take away some kind of message or moral from the movie after the lightweight humor of the first 45 minutes, but the drastic shift in tone is jarring and more than a little strange. At a certain point I started to realize that the jokes were becoming less and less frequent, until the very uncomfortable and awkward climactic scene happened. Emphasis on uncomfortable and awkward. Neither half is necessarily poorly made, but they're so drastically different that it takes away from the movie as a whole.

Despite this one fault, Don Jon is largely a promising directorial debut. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a weird sort of universally charming personality that makes him likeable in just about everything he does, and directing doesn't seem to be any different. Don Jon is far from perfect, but it does show that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a directorial talent to watch, and I can't wait to see what he'll do next.

A lot like its main character in that it shouldn't be charming, but is. Everything is a bit didactic and facile, but the performances and some of the filmic craft raise this above the level of a triple-x sitcom. Ballsy on the surface, this is still a film unafraid to trot out the shopworn cliche of the silent character who ultimately reveals the true theme of the piece (think the Silent Bob monolog in CHASING AMY). It's fine for a debut, but we need to give JGL the filmmaker some time to grow.

Led wonderfully by the talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who steps into the writing and directing chair, on top of acting, "Don Jon" delivers an introspective and occasionally funny look at "porn addiction" and how it fits into a person's life. A strange subject matter to base a film around, HitRECord's Gordon-Levitt does a decent job of keeping the focus on his main character, Jon, and his relationships with his family, friends, and new girlfriend, played by Scarlett Johansson. Playboy Jon is looking to try settling down with Barbara (Johansson). Unable to leave his virtual world of sex behind, he leans on his faith and his church (the gym) to reconcile with himself that he can quit whenever he wants. Landing more on the surface rather than taking any real sort of look at the problem, the intention of "Don Jon" remains to entertain rather than to cause one to think about the problem at hand. With some spectacular supporting presences from Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, and even Brie Larson, these stars help Joseph Gordon-Levitt deliver the highlight performance of his film. With a successful first venture, it will be interesting to see where Gordon-Levitt and HitRECord go next.