Don Jon (Movie Review)

Rating:

The “1-4-0”: Girls! Forget those dumb men books. Wanna know what most guys REALLY think like? Watch #DonJon once and you’ll get a PhD in the male psyche.

The Gist: A blue-collar New Jerseyan who is obsessed with internet porn, tries to settle down with a beautiful girl to disastrous results.

The Highlights: What isn’t a highlight in this film! Let’s begin with the biggest highlight – the dialogue. I can only speak for the men. From the moment you sit down, you’ll be looking at a mirror up on screen and it’ll be you up there. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has somehow magically read every dude’s private journal to extract the most irrefutable truths of the male psyche. He seriously has outed all men, stripped them of their most intimate kept secrets and handed them for the world to see. Very few times have I related so much with a movie’s dialogue. Gordon-Levitt has made a romance movie for men that will last generations. The acting was also on the money. Gordon-Levitt was as different as I’ve seen him in any role. First, he’s jacked. I thought that was impossible for his frame. His accent, his guido look, his mannerisms are all authentic. Scarlett Johansson also merits applauses. I believe, she gives the best performance of her career here. Men, you’ll laugh not from the comedy, you’ll laugh nervously because you’ve been outed. Women, you’ll be laughing because you’ll remember that you’ve dated a guy or two like our titular character. 

The Lowlights: The first half is just brilliant, but the second half does wither a bit. The recurrent gags and unvarnished situations from the first part do grow old in the middle of the film (i.e; Gordon-Levitt’s sister texting all the time). Fortunately, Gordon-Levitt realizes this quickly and unfolds the emotional core of the film quickly in its denouement. At the end, you’ve forgiven the small mistakes the film might have stumbled through.

Pay or Nay?: Pay for it ten times over. Joseph Gordon-Levitt directs, writes and stars in this brilliantly written film about the relationship that men have with their dicks. It’s painfully truthful, hysterically funny and magnificently acted. It’s a simple, down-to-Earth film grounded on the truest of male behaviors. Overall, I think it’s a great date movie that both can enjoy.

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