…………………………………………………

Don Jon Movie Review

Don Jon is a 2013 romantic comedy film directed by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It’s one of the most underrated films of its decade.

………………………………………………….

“I never actually touch my cock ’til I find the right clip“

…………………………………………………..

Despite having an active sex life with Barbara, Jon gets addicted to watching pornography. When it affects his relationship, he requests help from a counselor, Esther, who comes up with a solution. For some unbeknownst reason to me this film isn’t respected all that much by critics and especially not by audiences, but to me it’s a wonderful, highly effective movie about a relevant issue that will be relatable to many men.

I don’t know how much of this is personal for the director, but I guess a lot of it is. Yes, this was the debut feature for Gordon-Levitt and I have to say that I was quite impressed with his ability to tell this story confidently. His screenplay was especially strong and a true underappreciated gem.

This is a surprisingly frank film from Hollywood that is very honest about pornography, sex and relationships. Some may find it to be too conservative in its eventual conclusion, but I personally appreciated the messaging here. The movie states that pornography is fake and that being addicted to it is almost the same as being addicted to drugs. Making love and having sex are not the same thing and “losing yourself in the other person” is of the utmost importance.

…………………………………………………..

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was terrific in the main role. His Jon is your standard guy who has intimacy issues and who refuses to grow up. I loved his arc and how it concluded. There are other strong performances here – Scarlett Johansson was entirely believable as this controlling, annoying hot girl while Julianne Moore killed it as the wise and immensely likable Esther.

The film was predictable in its eventual outcome and I could see it coming from a mile away, but I still really appreciated that conclusion as it was very uplifting and inspiring. Her character was given enough depth that made her feel like a genuinely real person. Their connection felt raw and real. I loved it.

The second half in its tender romance deftly contrasted the wittiness and pure entertainment of the first half. Jon’s jerk-off sessions were hilariously observational and impressively honest. Those scenes made me laugh out loud and a lot of the humor stemmed from its realistic depiction of masturbation and pornography watching practices.

…………………………………………………..

Don Jon benefits from a surprisingly sophisticated script and terrific performances all-around. Even Brie Larson impressed in such a small role. That one scene of hers was lovely and important for the plot. The rest of the family was a bit too overly theatrical, but I still found those scenes engaging.