Don Jon

One thing that can be said for films about self-absorbed, shallow, and insecure individuals, is that, assuming the movie is written in a positive way, we get to see these people transformed into deeper, more caring individuals by film's end, or, at least, be on the way of redemption. Do we get that concept in "Don Jon"? I think so, but it's done in a more subtle way, and it takes a little long in getting there.

Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) objectifies everything in his life: his apartment or pad, his car or ride, his family, his church, and, of course, his women. His buddies, Bobby and Danny (Rob Brown and Jeremy Luke) even call him Don Jon because of his ability to pull "10s" every weekend without fail. Yet even the finest flings don't compare to the transcendent bliss he achieves alone in front of the computer watching pornography or simply put, porn. Dissatisfied, he embarks on a journey to find a more gratifying sex life, but ends up learning larger lessons of life and love through relationships with two extremely different women: one, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), a very manipulative, self-absorbed primadonna, and the other, Esther (Julianne Moore), a depressed but real and blunt individual whose trying to cope with her life after losing her husband and son 14 months earlier from a car accident.

Others to round out the cast are Tony Danza as Jon, Sr., Glenne Headly as Angela, and Brie Larson as Monica, Jon's closed-mouth, somber sister.

This was remarkably well written and directed from someone with only 5 shorts to his credit, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He has a ton of acting credit to put on his resume, but this being his first theatrical film in the writing and directing category is amazing. There are seasoned writers and directors who aren't this good. There are problems with this, such as waiting as long as he did to let us know what Moore was doing in this film. Believe me, it was a question up to a certain point, and was this guy really trying to be redeemed? I think it's a possibility, but again, this short 90 minute running time took a while for him to start 'seeing the light'. Gordon-Levitt's ability to emit the development of the different characters, especially Danza as his dad and Headly as his mom was so accurately conveyed. This guy should go far given more experience under his belt.

This comedy cringes on the edge of who's dysfunctional, and the problems of young people and their inability to be honest, real, selfless, or the unwillingness to reach out to others. One note: this is not for the kiddies--it is rated 'R' for a reason, but it is an interesting expose into the problems that our society faces in a world where it's all about the man in the mirror.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                           Rated: R                           90mins.