PLOT: 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.
REVIEW: I've been looking forward to Don Jon for quite some time now, and now it is finally here. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (from here on out referred to as JGL) is a talent of the times right now, as he is seemingly becoming more popular each and every year. Still being on his youthful side, he's still able to draw in new audience young and old. This movie however, deals with a lot of adult subjects, relationship woes, and the meaning of love and I couldn't have been any more impressed with JGL's first outing in the director's chair. I can't say it looked like my kind of movie in the first place, but being that JGL was the person behind all of its creative aspects I knew I couldn't miss out on this one. So far it's been very well-reviewed by a lot of critics and it is kind of hard for me to say it any better as to why this film is so great. What Don Jon has that most other romantic comedies don't have is the window for a guy to look through, and add in all of the charm and humor of JGL's writing and you've got a hit.
It's so rare in romantic comedies anymore to see a story that applies to men, as much as it does for women. I think that these type of films always tend to cater to the female side of things and it's kind of disappointing because I think no matter who the film skews towards in this genre, it's going to be relatable for women because they love sappy stories. However, my opinion on this is exactly what is turned on its ear in this movie and it really shows how great of a story JGL has written here. This is a romantic comedy, but instead of centering around a charming and cute girl who hasn't found Mr. Right and all of her friends are urging her to meet a nice guy, it's a tough and sex-driven Jersey gym rat played by JGL, and some go as far as calling him The Don. Immediately when the movie starts, you're overloaded with Jon's routine and what it takes to be in his shoes on a daily basis. It can turn you off the movie quickly if you don't have the patience for it or don't expect what's coming, as you see that Jon lives his ritual like a religion and doesn't take it lightly when it's thrown off course.
Jon uses porn more than anything else, and when it comes to his porn, it is very important to him. It's JGL's seemingly casual insight on this subject that draws and has been drawing a lot of eyes to character in the film, as he's not the kind of guy you typically like in these kind of films but JGL paints him with a light brush. It's never too much to where you can't stand the guy, and it's never to little to not forget who he is. He's really obsessed with pornography, and if you can't see it after 15 minutes of the film, you probably are too. It's the subject matter though, and the development and understanding of Don Jon, that really put this film above and beyond others in terms of analyzing the differences between men's view of romance, and women's. It's a sadly realistic and honest portrayal of an exaggerated typical man, which allows the audience to see what JGL is actually trying to point out within his tale. Men and women are two entirely different kinds of people whether a common society wants to believe it or not, and we see things in different ways. Love and sexual relations are just two things that Don Jon focuses on during its runtime, and it is about as endearing as a story about this matter can be.
The acting in the film is incredible, and of course JGL puts in another solid performance as Jon here. Being that this is his first feature film that he's directed, and written as well, I was curious to see how well his acting ability paired with these new talents that he is trying to develop. What I saw was incredible all around tour of the film set by JGL, and does great at all three points of his job here on Don Jon. One thing JGL is better at doing that most anyone else in Hollywood is that he's able to completely transform himself into whatever character he's playing, and really absorb himself into the mentality and style of said character. I don't think it was a question as to whether or not he could play Jon, but he never loses his charm and wit as an actor behind the muscular and cocky Don. The other star of the film is Scarlett Johansson, who is nearly perfect to play alongside JGL in this film. I'm not entirely sold on her as a serious actress yet, but this movie does a pretty good job of showing how great of a caricature she can be. She's pretty much the shell of a woman, what men want to see in a beautiful woman. Scarlett takes Jersey girl dead serious though, and nails the excessive gum chewing and unrealistic expectations of a woman absorbed into romance films herself. Barbara, played by Scarlett Johansson, never quite understands why Jon is attracted to pornography, and it's this misunderstanding that the film's foundation is built upon.
By the end of the film, Julianne Moore has come to play as a disheveled older woman looking for a friend, and seemingly only in Jon. She does a fantastic job at playing the wayward and careless woman in the middle of her midlife crisis, and it's really her involvement in the events of the end of the film that make it so beautiful. Everything that Jon goes through with Esther, Moore's character, really sold me and a lot of audiences on the story of Jon and how he goes from being a man in a movie, to a man of reality. The final scene with Jon and Barbara, for those who weren't following all along, points out the nasty elephant in the room and ousts some people for what they are, and that's being materialistic and unrealistic. It's Scarlett Johansson's stern and hard-headed approach in this scene as Barbara that really drives the point home, and even though she's 100% sure of her life and the way it's run, it's Jon's subtle understanding of the way she is and the way he's learned to be that concludes the movie on such an amazing note. I am a guy here, so I see this movie a little differently than some would, but I think it's one of the most beautiful romantic comedies I've ever seen. It's not the funniest, nor is it the saddest. But it is by far the smartest, most observant, and brutally honest romantic comedy I've seen in years and I couldn't be any more proud of my boy JGL. I've been singing his praises for years that he was going to be a true talent one day, and I've loved him ever since Brick back in 2005 when he began his comeback in the industry. Thank you Mr. Gordon-Levitt, for finally making a romantic comedy that for once guys can understand, and women can learn from, and not the other way around.
ACTING : ( 9 / 10 )
STORY : ( 10 / 10 )
EXECUTION : ( 9 / 10 )
POSTER : ( 6 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )
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