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Critics Consensus: Don Jon proves to be an amiable directing debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a vivacious showcase for his co-star, Scarlett Johansson.
Critic Consensus: Don Jon proves to be an amiable directing debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a vivacious showcase for his co-star, Scarlett Johansson.
All Critics (195) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (155) | Rotten (40)
As a director, Gordon-Levitt demonstrates considerable technical flair through stylistic flourishes and coaxes great performances out of his co-stars.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns the gym-tan-laundry routine into an art form with Don Jon, his vibrant and viciously profane directorial debut.
Offbeat, frank and often surprising gem.
The movie becomes increasingly soft-edged and sappy.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's debut as a writer-director-actor resembles a porn addict's Groundhog Day, and not in a good way.
At least 80% of it is snappy, droll fluff, while the other 20% is what you get when you persuade Julianne Moore to be in your movie: in a word, better.
Don Jon isn't just a good effort from a first-time director. It's a pretty good film on its own too.
For a film that is directly about finding substance in modern relationships to divert from the crass lack of realism and overt stylisation of porn, it's ironic how Levitt's film seems devoid of it.
Still, while Don Jon is far from subtle, it's still smart, honest, salaciously funny and, at times, pleasantly surprising. It'll be very interesting to see what that kid from that TV show does next.
The entire film is elevated by Julianne Moore, who is meant to illustrate the difference in maturity levels in the characters, but also demonstrates the difference in levels of acting ability in the actors.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his directorial and writer debut gives us a film that is filled with some laugh out loud moments and if we can get past the frothiness, it is definitely a film worth seeing.
Like porn itself, reaction will vary.
A refreshing debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a filmmaker, who delivers a solid script that holds a lot more to it than you might think and directs it with a very firm grip reflected in the strong performances that he and the rest of his fine cast put in.
Super Reviewer
Bit torn on this one. I really didn't like the characters of either Jon or Barbara here (how did they make Scarlett look so harsh and unattractive while supposedly portraying her as the "hot" girl?!). Jon was just a meathead dumbass addicted to watching porn. Not much else to him. At least there was some growth to his character by the end. Julianne Moore is great and looks amazing for her age, but that was a hard relationship to swallow too. I don't know... It was something a bit different and it wasn't predictable, so full marks there. I'm glad I saw it. However, I don't think I would watch it again.
There's a lot to love in this dramedy from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who starred, directed, and wrote this film. It has some really great performances from everyone involved: Tony Danza has never been more enjoyable to watch onscreen, Johansson is caustically hilarious, Moore is the best aspect of this entire film, and Gordon-Levitt actually gives a realistic performance as the sweaty, meat headed Jon. The main problem of the film is that it has a message that is belittled by its inclusion of relationship politics. If it was only about the problems, and pure humanity, of sex addicts (especially within communities full of these Jersey stereotypes) this film would be easy to love. The inclusion of a unique May-December relationship was especially inspired. On top of that the film tries to draw a line between the enjoyment of porn by guys, and the enjoyment of romantic comedies by women. This is a really strange, unclear connection that doesn't make much sense in the grander scheme of the film. That, and the relationship between Jon (Gordon-Levitt) and Barbara (Johansson) makes little sense to the rest of the narrative. Why it is included at all is a mystery. Is it a portrayal of women's expectations in general, or is it saying something about Jon's expectations when it comes to sex? It's a very strange narrative, and one that paints women as needy and pessimistic. This narrative is especially damaging when you look at the conclusion, which belittles sex addiction by having Jon end his addiction with free will. There have been better films that deal with this subject without getting everything absolutely wrong.
A Jersey Shore-esque rake with a fixation for porn falls for a local girl who almost matches his fantasies. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut should be praised for its style and for its strong performances by Gordon-Levitt himself and Scarlett Johansson. But it's sexual politics are as obvious as Jon Martello's biceps, and its heavy handed feminist message, while admirable, is pat and basic. There's nothing new sex and gender relations here even though I suspect Gordon-Levitt thinks otherwise. Overall, the film is only to be blamed for its lack of originality, not necessarily its execution.
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