Chinese Whispers - Don Jon

JGL - Just Good Lovin'

I'm in danger of overloading on Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Knowledge of my man crush has spilled out into public domain now and this will be the second JGL film that I have reviewed in a row.  Such love!  Isn't it just sickening?  Appropriately, love is all that his directorial debut, Don Jon, is about.  But just two different kinds.

JGL plays the titular Jon, who obsesses over a certain lifestyle; all he values in his life are his material possessions, his appearance and his women.  Oh and pornography.  Lots. And. Lots. Of pornography.  Enter Scarlett Johansson's Barbara, a 'Perfect 10' who just might be 'The One' for our Don Jon.  But in order to seal the deal, Jon must be willing to end his decade-long love affair with porn.  She sees this as a character flaw, whereas he doesn't see any difference from her love of Hollywood rom-coms.

I recently read an article on Vice.co.uk about the rise of lad culture entitled "How Sad Young Douchebags Took Over Modern Britain" in which the author claimed that beer-swilling, tanned muscleheads have taken over the typical example of 'tough guys' in today's society.  Whilst I mostly agree with the article, from the example shown in Don Jon, it seems to be a transatlantic problem too.  Jon typifies your quintessential modern, selfish, misogynistic 'meat-head'.  His obsession with a perfectly-groomed body and perfectly-cleaned apartment is only matched by his fascination with the ideal world of sex that modern pornography depicts.  After a typical night, he always compare his experience with the one he sees in pornographic movies and it leaves him feeling hollow.  So he feels he must fill that void with endless amounts of self-abuse.

Despite the comedy within the film and the light-hearted premise, Don Jon is an incredible study of an often-shamed or ignored addiction.  The original title of the film was Don Jon's Addiction and the obsession shown throughout is definitely an eye-opening one; despite all the perfection around him, Jon finds the only place he can constantly 'lose himself' is in the world of pornography.  It's understandable why JGL plays the role with true pathos and heart as he wrote and directed the film as well, making the entire project obviously very personal to him.

As well as JGL, I was surprisingly impressed by Scarlett Johansson's performance as Barbara, the 'Perfect 10'.  Even though she is cast with the character's appearance in mind, her talent is definitely what shines brightest.  This is the first time I have seen Ms Johansson given the chance to act in a film for such a long time.  Her recent foray into the world of comic-book adaptations (Avengers, Iron Man 2, The Spirit) could be attributed to her buxom figure drawing in male audiences, but it results in her playing eye-candy with not much chance to flex her acting muscles.  However, in Barbara, Johansson plays a cocky, self-assured woman who, deep-down, is just as shallow and self-centred as Jon, even if she doesn't know it.  Her 'Perfect 10' status is wholly exterior, but you can tell she is enjoying playing this damaged character.

Don't get me wrong; my love for JGL is not blinding me from seeing this film's flaws.  Personally, I didn't quite buy the friendship that Jon has with his night-school classmate played by Julianne Moore.  It felt like JGL wanted Jon to find a way out of his addiction, and that he could be happy without having his high expectations fulfilled, but it just didn't feel right.  I didn't sense that much of a character arc from Jon to make it seem like the correct ending.  I could see where JGL is coming from, but like Jon's videos, it all seemed too perfect.

However from a directorial standpoint, as well as a writer, this debut film is very impressive.  The characters are a little broad but engaging, the message is well-meaning and the drama is evenly balanced with the comedy and romance.  It might not be for everyone, such as watching it with your parents, as the subject matter is very mature and quite graphic at some points, but it is always with it's tongue firmly in cheek.  So to speak.

Rating - 8/10

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

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