Film: Don Jon

Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinema
Grade: B-

Don Jon has a lot to say about the way both men and women are taught to view women as objects and princesses, and how both of those roles invite selfishness into relationships. It works for the most part, though writer/director/star Gordon-Levitt imbues these characters with two parts depth and three parts caricature. Still, he and Scarlett Johansson are watchable (even as you sort of hate them) as Jersey Shore pretty boys and girls who are so obsessed with themselves they don't understand what being in a relationship truly means. 

Gordon-Levitt gets that across by showing again and again showing us the routines of Jon's life and how his idea of getting serious with Barbara is just fitting her into those routines, even if it means lying or rolling his eyes while he does it. For Barbara it means transforming Jon into the Ken-doll/rom-com star she's always dreamed of. Neither of them see how relationships require give and take, sharing, and giving yourself over willingly to another person. That's true intimacy, the film suggests, and porn and romantic comedies are just false depictions of what can only be experienced on an individual level as partners learn how to be selfless. It's sort of a "duh" premise for anyone who has actually had a satisfying relationship, but Gordon-Levitt (and Tony Danza and the rest of the cast) are just so fun to watch that I'll forgive the film it's simplicity.

It doesn't do it all right, but no first-time director does. Gordon-Levitt has fun that works (I loved Jon's confessional visits as he seeks to "score" a lower penance number) and fun that doesn't (good golly, Joseph, sometimes you can put down the handheld cam and just let a shot settle for a moment), but overall it works. There are a lot of R-rated porn clips (nothing below the waist, but lots of porny faces/actions) for the squeamish, but overall the message is really about affirming healthy relationships and rejecting unhealthy obsessions. It's only when Jon starts to break up his routine and allow real space for other people that he can begin to grow.

I'm interested to see what else Gordon-Levitt does, not because this was a great film, but because it indicates to me a filmmaker who wants to develop and share his voice. And that's exciting to watch.

Alternate Film Title: "Oh, Hey, Julianne Moore Is In This Too, I Guess"