Don Jon: Movie Review

Joseph Gordon-Levitt pulls triple duty as writer, director, and star of the new comedy “Don Jon” and I am pretty sure this wildly funny and sharp comedy will make my ten best films of 2013 list.  Yes, the little movie about a guy with addiction to porn is that good! 

Jon (Gordon-Levitt) is an Italian New Jersey bartender who is dedicated to making sure his apartment is spotless, spending time with his friends and family, attending Church every Sunday, keeping his body in top physical shape, spending time with beautiful women, and  most of all, his porn.  As important as all the other elements in his life are, there is nothing that gives him more satisfaction than watching and masturbating to porn.  He is like a machine,  he just can’t stop. 

Jon’s problem is that no matter which girl he brings into his bed (or public bathroom), sex is never as amazing as it looks on the various clips he streams online.  This leaves Jon dissatisfied after spending the night with an actual girl.  When Jon meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), he believes that she will be the one to satisfy his every desire. To Jon, she is the perfect girl. Without even having sex, Barbara uses her sexuality to mold Jon into what she wants him to be. She gets him to take night classes at a local college, just by rubbing her body up to his. 

Jon is so infatuated  by Barbara, he doesn’t realizes what she is actually doing to him. 

“Don Jon” deals with the subject of porn in a really sharp and extremely funny way.  Jon also goes to confession each week so he can unload all his porn sins onto the preacher.  Those scenes in the confession box are awesome. 

There is also a great supporting cast which includes Tony Danza and Glenne Headly as Jon’s parents and Julianne Moore as a Esther, an older woman who befriends Jon at night school.  If you are looking for a rom-com with edge, that actually is funny, then go ahead and check out ” Don Jon”.

By: Marc Ferman