“I have been anxiously awaiting this move for a while, since I first heard that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was stepping behind the camera to direct. Well, he was also acting in front of it, but he wrote the screenplay as well, so that makes it 2:1 behind the camera.
Because I was following new about this film since the beginning, I know that it was originally named “”Don Jon’s Addiction”” before it was shortened to simply Don Jon. The idea behind the rename was to de-emphasize that part of the story, and therefore let it be a more complete character piece without focusing in on just one trait. So what is Don Jon’s addiction? Porn. However, I completely agree with the name change. In trying to describe the movie, I realize that the one sentance summary “”It’s about a guy with a porn addiction”” doesn’t really give it justice. But once you start going deeper, about him dealing with expectations and ambitions you either hafta overcomplicate it, or oversimplify it. You can focus it in on the romantic plot, but even then, that’s not the entire film.
For me, this movie was a lot of things. Yes, it was a fascinating and endearing character piece. I loved JGL’s Jon and wanted very much to get to know him better. It was also a bit of an unexpected learning experience, at least for me as a chick. Honestly, I felt like I gained A LOT of insight into the male brain. There were some things that I just sorta took as given, and never really cared to explore. But I feel like I understand just a little bit more.
Exploration of the male psyche aside, it was a very fun film. The characters were a bit loud and over the top, which I mostly attribute to their accents. I realized (when at first thinking the accents were too much) without them, the characters would have been a bit lifeless and trite. But I felt like it gave the cast freedom to just let go and be big. I particularly enjoyed watching Tony Danza as the football addicted father. Oh and Brie Larson stole her scenes (or at least a chuckle each time) without really doing much of anything. I also liked how Julianne Moore’s character played off JGL’s, even if I wasn’t sure about the actual casting choice.
Anyways, well done JGL. I applaud your first effort, and I hope to see much more from you in the future!
Don Jon – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/