On DVD and Blu Ray - "Don Jon" - Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Directorial debut (he also wrote the script here) is paper thin, hypocritical and way too muddled in it's efforts to convey various messages concerning porn, sex, love/intimacy and religion for it's own good. If this marks a career deviation for JGL, it's a mere baby-step.
Gordon-Levitt isn't all that likeable here, with his titular character a fit, handsome, meatheaded lug with a knack for scoring with pretty ladies but unable to kick a penchant for internet porn. There isn't one second of footage with his character working, which made me wonder how he could afford such a nice apartment, his vintage '72 Chevelle SS, his seemingly nightly forays into happenin' clubs all the while wearing such fashionable duds. This fat, balding, pasty geek and his 14 year old truck just couldn't work up any empathy for him.
Tony Danza and Glenne Headly supply nothing more than Italian-American stereotypes as Don Jon's parents, while Brie Larson is absolutely wasted as his PDA-captivated sister. Julianne Moore's performance as the older woman/fractured soul who opens up our hero's eyes to a love of a more meaningful variety feels lifted from a more profound work.
Scarlett Johansson's pretty vapid here as Don Jon's idea of a "dime", though single straight guys will have a ball (ahem) enjoying her in various tight-fitting outfits (sorry, there's no money shot here) and catching glimpses of their favorite porn stars in a myriad of internet video clips. There's a couple of laughs here and there and some may get a kick out of the frank approach to the subject matter, though don't buy in expecting anything memorable.
6.0 out of 10
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headley, Brie Larson, Rob Brown, Jeremy Luke and Paul Ben-Victor
Running Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong graphic sexual material and dialogue throughout, nudity, language and some drug use
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