"G-T-L Has Added A New Letter, 'P'"

My thoughts...

I was pleasantly surprised after watching Don Jon. I had preconceived notions, after watching the trailers, that it was going to be a serious and intense drama. It most certainly was not!

Don Jon is a hysterical, satire-styled film paying homage to the "guido" lifestyle made famous by MTV's Jersey Shore (if you don't know the reference, watch an episode of Jersey Shore on YouTube or MTV before you go and see Don Jon).

Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays a stereotypical, Italian American obsessed with 3 things: keeping his muscles toned, keeping his apartment clean and picking up women at the club where he bartends. Aside from the stereotypes implemented about Jon, there is one additional thing that he is obsessed with: porn.

Jon sees porn as a healthy habit and doesn't think there’s anything wrong with it. In my opinion, his justification for why he loves porn so much is actually somewhat logical (I'll let you figure that one out when you see the movie and decide for yourself). Jon goes on to say that porn is better than real sex (I don't know about that).

The plot:

Jon and his two best friends, Bobby (Rob Brown) and Danny (Jeremy Luke), make a game of picking out women at the club and rating them 1-10. One night, Jon spots a 'dime' (Scarlett Johansson) and is happy to pick her up and keep his perfect record. Jon has never gone a night without bringing a girl home.

Jon woos Barbara (Scarlett Johansson).  Using all the cliché lines he knows, he tries desperately to get her into bed; but to no avail.  At the end of the night, he goes home alone. Jon is very confused as to why none of his tricks worked. He then realizes that Barbara is different from most girls; but because she’s a dime, he is willing to give her a chase. At first, it’s just a quest to get in her pants, but then he finds himself in love with her.

He begins to recognize that his love of porn is actually an addiction. He naively believes that the emotional connection with Barbara will immediately negate his addiction to porn. 

Don Jon is a good story about doing what makes you happy and learning to love yourself for who you really are. It also serves as a reminder to not harp on the little things that others would damn you for.

The movie has dimensional characters.  They keep the beats of the film moving at a nice pace which, in turn, keeps the viewer interested.  Nice job!

What I liked:

1. The theme of the film is blunt, but it’s deep enough to keep you thinking after you've left the theatre.

2. The play on stereotypes works really nicely in this film. They use them without abusing them; and even freshen some up a bit. 

3. Julianne Moore is AWESOME in this movie. Though it’s a supporting role, she emotionally hooks the audience the moment she steps on screen. Wow!

What I didn't like: 

1. Enough with all the sex scenes! Repetition plays a huge roll in the movie; but over and over and over and over . . . well, you get the idea.  I worry that the overkill on naked women will persuade people to see, or not see, this movie for the wrong reasons.

2. Could the filmmakers have been a little too, "in your face" with trying to get their message across (i.e. “this dude is addicted to porn”)? I thought it was a bit much.

3. There seemed to be a hint of distain about how the Catholic Church is run. I could have done without it.

Should you go see it? I think so. But be careful who you take. Don't want to bring a first date, or mom & dad, to see this movie. 

Rating: 3/4 Stars

Those are my thoughts... Not yours!

-Big Red