Sunday 24 November 2013

Don Jon (2013)

Don Jon - Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Don Jon, Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt  
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
My Rating: 8.5/10
Runtime: 90mins


“There's only a few things I really care about in life. My body. My pad. My ride. My family. My church. My boys. My girls. My porn.”

Synopsis: A buff, church going barman from New Jersey sleeps with beautiful girls every other night but he has always found more satisfaction in online pornography. The nicknamed ‘Don Jon’ must make some serious changes in his life if intimacy is ever to enter his ‘pad’. 

Don Jon was written and directed by the star of the show, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper, Inception). Gordon-Levitt continues to impress and has, by now, surpassed his image as the sensitive, quirky type. Ever since Looper (2012), Gordon-Levitt has embraced the bad boy appeal and has found himself in more and more versatile roles. 

With Don Jon, Gordon-Levitt takes from his years of acting experience in romantic comedies and subverts the genre completely, resulting in a confident and edgy directorial debut. Shame (2011) dealt with sex addiction in a visceral and sombre light but Don Jon manages to address the issue of porn addiction in a lighthearted way, while maintaining a level of sincerity. 

Stylistically the film is very well edited and derives comedy from repetition. The soundtrack is equally hilarious creating the perfect collection of sound cues to mark Don Jon’s manly routine. It’s a highly enjoyable film to watch and certainly holds it’s own style. Scarlett Johansson fans will be disappointed to learn that she looks more like a skank from The Sopranos than her usual jaw-dropping self. Check this one out in the cinema for a riskaay night out...

- by Gavin Fitzgerald