DON JON

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of my all time favourite actors; I have been tracking his career since I was 8 years old and watched 10 Things I Hate About You for the first time. There is just something special about this guy and his acting talent and artistic integrity is second to none. From the gritty anti-hero of Neil McCormick in Mysterious Skin (2004) to the hapless romantic of Tom Hansen ((500) Days of Summer), Gordon-Levitt gives his all in every performance as he effortlessly encompasses each character that he plays with a talent that appears to have no limits.

Me with Joseph Gordon Levitt at the BFI 

Not only is he an incredible actor, he also runs his own production company and shines as an innovative artist and producer. So, with all things considered you can imagine my excitement at the announcement of Don Jon - a film that not only stars Gordon-Levitt, but was written and directed by him too.

Don Jon tells the story of Jon, a New Jersey guy who is so obsessed with pornography that he can't find happiness and satisfaction from a relationship with Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), who ironically holds similarly unrealistic expectations from her exposure to romantic movies.

First of all, Joseph Gordon Levitt's debut as a director is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. With just the right amount of comedic undertones the film has it's fair share of laugh out loud moments through subtle implications rather than a cheesy and in-your-face script. Most of the laughs come through satirical non-verbal moments in a way that doesn't patronize the audience in the same way that some of the bigger comedy movies do. It also has incredible structure; the combination of fast, snappy scenes and elements of repetition only add to the humour and quickly builds your connection to the story and character development. You get a real sense of Jon's routine and personality within the first ten minutes of the film's opening and it only grows as each scene transitions, with no scene lingering any longer than necessary.

Fit for Jersey Shore!

As expected the performances are strong and Gordon-Levitt is once again transformed into an entirely new character in the form of beefcake, church-loving, family-orientated stud. Likewise, Scarlett Johansson gives Barbara both the sass and sexiness required as both leads convincingly picked up the New Jersey accent and mannerisms that would have had them easily fit into the cast of Jersey Shore.

The concept of the film was both interesting and entertaining; a male's fascination with pornography isn't a topic that I have previously seen so honestly and casually discussed in a film before and juxtaposing it with the way romantic movies distort women's expectations of relationships was very cleverly done. Jon is a believable character that isn't tainted by Hollywood ideals and expectations, which I believe is a result of Joseph Gordon Levitt's refusal to succumb to the typical, unbelievable conventions.

The storyline wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be, especially for a relatively light-hearted comedy, and although I welcomed the direction that the film was going I couldn't help but feel like the final conclusion was a little rushed. Towards the last third of the movie I feel like the narrative began to suffer as there wasn't enough time devoted to the turn around in Jon's character. The credits started rolling almost out of nowhere and there was a lot more that we could have seen in terms of how the characters developed in order to reach the final scene. A character which had previously held a whole lot of realism suddenly seemed a little too quick to be 'cured' and this was something that Gordon-Levitt definitely could have dug a little deeper with.

In conclusion, this is a really enjoyable film. I had sky-high expectations which were probably impossible to have been met but all things considered, Joseph Gordon-Levitt came pretty close. Don Jon did slightly falter towards the end in terms of the script but it is a great comedy with brilliant performances all round; the film's greatest strength and the real comedic genius is ultimately a result of how well-directed it is, giving Joseph Gordon Levitt an incredibly strong directorial debut that proves he is just as talented and comfortable behind the camera as he is in front of it.

★★★★☆

Don Jon is out nationwide from this Friday, the 15th November!

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,