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Don Jon (2013), R, 3 stars

Gordon-Levitt and Johansson dancing the night away.
His body. His pad. His ride. His family. His church. His boys. His girls. His porn. Everything that Jon Martello objectifies in his life. Don Juan may be a mythical character, but that romantic stereotype is featured as a caricature in many movies, especially in a romantic comedy. The stupidity of the script and inept attitude makes a romantic male caricature a jerk and the romantic interest an embarrassment. The script takes a predictable arc and challenges the audience onto deciding the fate of each characters. It is a really bold and risk-taking movie with dignity and self-esteem.

Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a man who woos extremely attractive women and his friends call him "Don Jon" because of his reputation to succeed for "getting 10s". His pornographic addiction spirals him out of control like Michael Fassbender's character in Shame. Because of that addiction, he sets out to find a gratifying sex life.

He meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) who believes to be the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. He wants to take her on a one-night stand, but the results are embarrassingly unusual for him. She does not fall for his physical gestures and communication. From what I got out of it, Jon personally stalks her and try to get to know her by asking her out to lunch. They are in a romantic relationship and and Jon introduces Barbara to his parents (Glenne Headly and Tony Danza). The parents take a good interest in her.

He also meets Esther (Julianne Moore) from his night classes and she is the oldest in her class. He and she discuss personal and psychological feelings. She explains to Jon that the pornography he watches is not real. She goes into detail in psychological terms of why porn is not healthy for Jon and therefore, he has a relationship with Esther, too.

Jon having some lunch with his family.
I don't want to go into much more detailed information about the characters because it reveals some personal issues about them. Therefore, the movie goes into some familiar territory about Jon's decision about his addiction, but then, the movie turns unpredictable with Jon's relationship with a character, thus, the ending is refreshing.

Joseph-Gordon Levitt does a fine job of creating a film that has the courage to explore a topic of such indecency that interferes with a relationship of some sort. He also creates a character and lifestyle that is reminiscent of Saturday Night Fever where Travolta's character, Tony, is infatuated with dancing. Jon is infatuated with sex and pornography. He gives a pretty confident performance as the title character. Johansson gives a pretty sensuous and tough performance as the girl who is not as she seems to be from a personality standpoint. Moore and Danza do fine work themselves, too.

My problem with this movie is that in the second half where spoilers were. I already issued and I'll say it again that the transitional period of Jon's life goes into familiar territory where he wants to redeem himself from his sins. I thought there was a little too much graphic dialogue for my taste, but the dialogue is essential to the movie. The movie, though, turns into a tender story about personality issues between human characters. It is a poignant story. This movie also assures that I cannot wait to see what Gordon-Levitt is going to make for his next movie. He has a pretty good start for his directing career.

***

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