Don Jon
★★★★
Dir: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
(2013)
At the first mention of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, most instantly think of him as the King of Indie films or as ‘that guy’ from Christopher Nolan’s blockbusters Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. Sometimes this also extends to his notable performance as the teenage alien in American 90’s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. And now, even with these select few of the roles which extend down his now extensive resume, Gordon-Levitt has now made the transition from in front of the camera to behind it. His directorial debut Don Jon was a complete success at the annual Utah-based Sundance Film Festival, receiving high praise and stellar compliments.
Don Jon is the story of Jon Martello, a good-looking Jersey boy who takes pride in the fact that he is consistently able to attract the most beautiful women. Although it’s never a meaningful relationship, just a string of one-night stands, with Martello preferring the company of pornography to that of a real woman. Even after he meets Barbara Sugarman (played by Scarlett Johansson), a beautiful young woman, whom he refers to as a ‘dime’ (a woman he rates 10/10) he still can’t keep away from the porn. Johansson is the quintessential beautiful, blonde bombshell and just like Martello she can’t seem to fully commit either. Her weakness lies with romantic comedies and their unrealistic expectations on what constitutes a successful relationship. The comedy centres on Martello’s and Sugarman’s interaction as they both try to live up to their fantasies. It’s only when Martello meets Ester (Julianne Moore) that he begins to change his misconceptions of love.
If anyone tells you that they’ve recently seen this comedy and the first thing about the film that falls from their lips is that it’s ‘all about pornography’, you can tell them they’re wrong. Yes, the title character enjoys watching porn, but the film is so much more than that. It’s an excellent exposition on human perceptions of what constitutes relationships as portrayed in a world dominated by the media. Social dictation towards attractiveness, sexuality and desirability is put into question and Gordon-Levitt delivers blow after blow to this poorly designed social construct.
If anything, Don Jon is a great idea, and a call for a much-needed upheaval of convention. The film is undoubtedly enjoyable, with Gordon-Levitt’s commentary on the extent of media involvement within our personal lives being spot on. The film may well deal with these issues in a light-hearted, comedic way, but the results are nevertheless poignant. Even though the whole thing just feels a little too safe, (Gordon-Levitt has so much to play with) as a directorial debut who can blame him? It proves that this is just the beginning and that the man undoubtably has skills behind, as well as in front of, the camera.
