Movies about love and romance have never really appealed to me. Maybe it's because I'm a man, I don't know. But the majority of the ones I've seen, even the rare few I actually enjoy, come off as trite, formulaic, and clichéd. (Those three words could actually describe a lot of the horror movies I love, but that's a different story.) But despite my personal distaste for so-called "chick flicks," I was drawn to the new movie Don Jon. The trailers actually caught my attention and convinced me that I had to see it. And when I actually did see it, I was surprised to learn that it was absolutely nothing like I expected. And yes, that's a very good thing.
Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the consummate ladies' man, nicknamed "Don Jon" by his friends due to his Don Juan-like ability to land a one night stand with any woman he wants. But despite his incredible success getting women into bed, he finds himself unfulfilled with these sexual interludes, instead turning to online pornography for satisfaction. His addiction to porn has made his love life hollow, since no woman can live up to the unattainable fantasy world that exists on his computer screen.
But his world gets shaken up when he meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johannson) while out on the town with his buddies. Jon knows as soon as he lays eyes on her that he has to have her, but finds himself disarmed by her teasing. Barbara proves herself to be unlike the women Jon usually takes home, as she has no qualms with stringing him along and making him work for her affection.
Jon commits himself to the long haul with Barbara, but she quickly stars leaving clues that she's using him as much as he'd like to use her. Using sex as leverage, she begins molding him into the fantasy boyfriend she longs to have. Barbara forbids him from watching porn, argues that cleaning his own apartment ― an activity that Jon truly enjoys ― isn't masculine, and talks him into going to night school to find something better than his supposedly demeaning job as a bartender.
It's at his night school classes that he has a series of odd encounters with a fellow student named Esther (Julianne Moore). Jon initially wants nothing to do with her after she accidentally interrupts one of his stealthy attempts at watching porn on his iPhone, away from Barbara's judgmental eyes. But when he finds himself unable to avoid her, they end up forming something of a friendship that forces him to start examining his own views on life and love.
When I first saw the trailers for Don Jon in front of other movies, I was taken aback at first. It didn't come off like any other romance-oriented movie I was familiar with. I was still unsure how I'd feel when I entered that theater a few days ago to see it, fearing that would just be another in the long line of piss-poor Hollywood chick flicks. But Don Jon proved to be something unique. It's an intelligent movie that approaches the idea of two people dating differently than one might expect. It's smartly made, well acted, and funny to boot.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not only the movie's star, but makes his debut as both a writer and director here. It's understandable to be unsure of how an actor's first ventures into something other than acting will turn out, since talents in front of the camera don't always translate to talents behind it. But as far as his directorial work goes, it's solid. Gordon-Levitt proves himself to be a very capable filmmaker, building a movie that is fun to watch from start to finish. He crafts scenes in a way that pulls the viewer into each scene, especially in the moments where Jon goes into detail about his usual routine. It's a lively production that will hopefully be the start of something good if Gordon-Levitt chooses to add more to his résumé as a director.
But as good as his direction is, it's overshadowed by the script he's written. Gordon-Levitt uses Don Jon to create a character study between two people whose views on love, romance, and sex have been shaped by movies. Jon's addiction to porn has molded him into a man who thinks that's how sex should be. Because of that, he's left disappointed by every woman he beds because there's absolutely no way they can live up to his lofty, unattainable standards.
Barbara finds herself in a similar boat without even realizing it. The character is established as loving romantic movies, and it's practically stated outright that her ideal relationship is based on them. On more than one occasion, Barbara comes off as shallow and manipulative, trying to twist Jon into something like the men from her cinematic fantasies rather than love and care about him for who he is. This dichotomy between Jon and Barbara proves to be genuinely intriguing, and Gordon-Levitt handles it delicately and smartly.
The only real flaw is that the movie's narrative seems to taper off at the end rather than build to a real climax. It feels like Gordon-Levitt ran out of steam when he got to the ending, and it just cruises to a stop rather than having a truly satisfying ending. And as I write this, I've realized that maybe that could have been Gordon-Levitt's intention all along. The movie is going great and I'm having a blast watching it but then it just kinda slows to a crawl during the last ten minutes and limps across the finish line, which could be some kind of reflection of the story itself, much like how Jon was never satisfied with his one night stands when it was all said and done. Then again, I could be putting too much thought into it, couldn't I?
And last but most certainly not least is perhaps the movie's strongest element, its cast. While the majority of the supporting cast blends in with the background for the most part, Tony Danza makes his presence known with his hilarious, boisterous performance as Jon's father. Each scene he's in is a real treat, to the point that I almost wish the movie had been a buddy comedy starring Danza and Gordon-Levitt.
As we move towards the main characters, Julianne Moore works well with what she's given. Her role isn't as big as it could be, since it doesn't feel like she really has much to do until the third act gets rolling, but it's mysterious enough that it allows Moore to be warm yet simultaneously flighty. Scarlett Johannson, meanwhile, plays her role incredibly well. You know almost immediately that her character is a manipulative bitch (and really, what woman would get pissed off because her boyfriend likes cleaning his apartment?) and Johannson jumps into this headfirst. With an unfaltering Jersey accent, she serves as a great foil for Gordon-Levitt's Jon, two sides of the same coin that are very much alike yet fail to notice it.
But I felt it was Gordon-Levitt who made the movie worth seeing. He's a charismatic, likable actor and his performance is quite charming. Yeah, he might come off as just another guido who was rejected by a Jersey Shore casting director, but Gordon-Levitt puts a lot of heart into the performance. By the end of the movie, one finds themselves really liking Jon in spite of his flaws, hoping for the best as his life goes in a new direction. This is a credit to how well Gordon-Levitt is able to capture the audience, as he does a fantastic job with it.
Don Jon, as I said earlier, is a unique movie. It defied all the expectations and preconceived notions I had about the genre and ventured down a path which I was happy to follow. It's not the same kind of romantic movie one might anticipate, not the sappy "based on a Nicholas Sparks novel" schmaltz one usually sees. Don Jon is the exact opposite of that, an almost subversive effort that I enjoyed a lot. So make sure to check out Don Jon when you get the chance, and make sure you bring a date along with you.
Final Rating: ***½
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