Don Jon
Special Presentation
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
While Levitt’s first effort behind the camera showcases that he at least knows what to do on a visual level, his tale of a porn addict trying to come to terms with the priorities in his life is entirely misconceived and sloppy.
A lothario (Levitt, doing a grating accent that vascilates between De Niro and Andrew Dice Clay) obsessed with his own fantasies of what sex should be meets the girl of his dreams (Scarlett Johansson, the best thing about the movie) and attempts to change his ways.
Levitt directs well, but his screenplay and performance are strictly shorthand for more interesting issues and themes he can’t quite reach. He seems to have created the film more with his performance in mind than the subtext, which always borders on interesting but instead devolves into a mishmash of montage, Catholic imagery, and cliché. It also wastes the talents of Tony Danza (Jon’s foul mouthed dad), Julianne Moore (as an older, kooky classmate), and Alison Brie (Jon’s mute younger sister, sadly only on hand to deliver an obvious punchline). The least Levitt could have done was to make Jon an interesting boor, but instead the movie’s just a bore.
Screens
Tuesday, September 10th, Princess of Wales, 6:30pm
Wednesday, September 11th, Ryerson Theatre, 3:00pm
