Don Jon

Down and Dirty: If you can handle graphic material, go see this film.

Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Big Names: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza

 

Body. Pad. Ride. Family. Church. Boys. Girls. Porn.

Unexpected. That’s the simplest way to debrief you on Don Jon. Joseph Gordon-Levitt hits you with a little misdirection in the movie trailer, as what might appear to be a romantic comedy actually turns out to be a much deeper film with some serious bite. The thinly veiled social commentary on modern media contained within the film is honestly pretty refreshing, albeit a tad out of left field - particularly based on the way this film is marketed. You wouldn’t necessarily expect this type of movie from an actor like Gordon-Levitt who has never been at the center of anything controversial. Perhaps though that is why he tackles the following subject matter with such tenacity.

Gordon-Levitt wrote, directed, and stars in Don Jon as a New Jersey homegrown who only cares about a few things in life: his body, his pad, his ride, his family, his church, his boys, his girls, and his porn. Yup, you read that right. Pornography. But this bold and taboo subject matter (porn addiction) that would throw almost anybody else into fits of uncomfortable turmoil ends up being right in JGL’s wheelhouse. And while I wouldn’t say he knocks it out of the park, he comes about as close as one can while working within the constraints of such a difficult subject matter. The story is that of one typical Jersey guy who comes to realize that his ‘normal’ pornographic viewing isn’t really normal at all and instead is extremely damaging to himself and those around him. JGL tackles the challenging subject in a profound way, treating porn addiction with the same severity that we typically reserve for more ‘acceptable’ addictions like drugs or alcohol. And he does it in a lighthearted fashion. Straight up, this movie is funny and Gordon-Levitt finds a way to bring comedic levity to even the most serious of situations, which is an impressive feat for his directorial debut. But at the heart of it, pornographic addiction is a devastating issue that nobody really wants to discuss despite its growing market in the Internet age and Gordon-Levitt doesn’t mask the problems it causes the way we as a society often try to.

Without giving anything away (NO SPOILERS!), the movie does a solid job of blatantly revealing how badly porn can taint and destroy the true value of sex. And when I say blatant, I mean blatant. Explicit. Upfront. You see a lot of graphic material throughout this film. In most cases it creates an unpleasant voyeuristic feeling in the viewer, but that is by design as it is necessary to understand where the mind of an addict will go at any given moment. There is one sequence in particular where Jon has tried to go cold turkey and quit watching porn altogether, but it is creating unwanted lingering effects. As Jon is having a normal conversation and simply going about his day, pornographic sex scenes flicker on screen spliced between regular scenes. It is disturbing and unwarranted, illustrating to the viewer what its like to be an addict who is bombarded with undesired mental imagery. It is a terrifically haunting feat of cinematography and I give props to the young director for his presentation.

I can’t believe I’ve gotten this far without mentioning Scarlett Johansson, the ultimate sex symbol. She fits the mold well as Jon’s love interest and Jersey hot bod Barbara, but here again Gordon-Levitt throws you for a loop. Whereas Jon is damaged by his porn addiction, Barbara is damaged by her infatuation with unrealistic Hollywood love stories. It’s a much-needed commentary on gender roles and how the media influences our expectations in relationships. And though the film might get preachy at points, it is addressing issues that our community chooses to brush under the rug all too often. What is most interesting is that JGL is using the cinema medium to comment on how the medium itself can negatively affect us. He’s playing Hollywood’s game in hopes of changing the game altogether. He gives us a moment of pure honesty in a conversation that blatantly fabricates fairy tales that distort our perception of realistic expectations.  Simply put, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is tackling taboo issues in the most brazen fashion he knows how – by broadcasting the message in his own movie. It’s a bold strategy but one that, in my opinion, ultimately pays off (Dodgeball reference). If graphic content ain’t no thang to you, go see this movie – or at the very least rent it upon its release.

P.S. Tony Danza absolutely kills it as the Guido dad, hilarious.