Don Jon DVD
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Rating: 3/5
We are seeing more and more actors make the move from in front of the camera to the director's chair... and Joseph Gordon-Levitt made that transition last year.
Don Jon marked the feature film directorial debut for Gordon-Levitt: he also stars in and wrote the screenplay.
Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt) is a strong, handsome, good old-fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography.
Barbara Sugarman (Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old-fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she's determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset.
Wrestling with good old-fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy.
Gordon-Levitt is an actor I have enjoyed watching for many years, and it is exciting to see him expand into writing and directing with this film; there is no denying that he is a talented chap.
Don Jon really is an impressive debut - I was not a huge fan of the ending - but overall Gordon-Levitt has done a fine job.
Don Jon does manage to provoke some interesting ideas and themes, as well as being very funny in places. Gordon-Levitt obviously has a lot on his plate with this project, but he seems to have balanced it all perfectly.
As well as showing a directorial flair, Gordon-Levitt also delivers a terrific central performance. Gordon-Levitt has a real chemistry with Johansson, and this central relationship really pushes this movie forward.
The ending is perhaps a little contrived, but overall, Don Jon really is a very entertaining watch.
Don Jon is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now.
Tagged in Joseph Gordon-Levitt