Don Jon Review
By David Kempler
Don Johnson
With "Don Jon", Joseph Gordon-Levitt has added the title of film director to his quickly expanding resume, and what a nice opening splash to this facet of his career. Right from the very first scene, the audience is smacked in the face with raunchy dialog, fast-paced editing, and sexuality, all of it presented with a razor-sharp sense of humor.
What we learn very quickly is that Jon (Gordon-Levitt) cares very deeply about some things. To be precise, he is obsessed with his family, going to church on Sunday, his buddies, the gym, his car, his apartment, and chasing women. Oh, I almost forgot his primary obsession: masturbation.
Yeah, this one is plenty crass. I found myself glancing around the theater in the first few minutes to gauge the reactions of the audience to the off-color material. At first, it was uneasy laughter. It evolves into a lot of raucous laughter as we watch Don go through this most unusual life.
Everything in Don's life is turned upside-down when he spots Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) in the club he frequents with his buddies. The conversation with them in the club revolves around finding a "10". Barbara is an "11" in Don's mind and he is determined to win her over. He actually keeps seeing her even though she won't sleep with him. Needless to say, this does not lead to a decrease in his favorite habit. The chase for Barbara is a big chunk of "Don Jon" and it is an awful lot of fun to watch, as is most of the rest of it.
His relationship with Barbara goes through some funny, hot, and twisting turns, with the banter always being top-notch. Eventually, with the assistance of Esther (Julianne Moore), an older woman he meets in school, his brain undergoes a metamorphosis of sorts. This is the only section that stresses the more serious aspects of life, and while it is effective, it feels a little bit removed from everything else.
"Don Jon" is not the type that wins lots of awards but it will definitely become, at the very least, a cult hit, and probably more than that. Everyone will be talking about this one and mimicking it. This latter-day Don Juan has a chance of becoming one of those films that is looked upon fondly by many for a long time.
