On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate Scarlett Johansson? Don’t lean that way? How about Joseph Gordon-Levitt? How about the last person you saw who you aren’t related to? How about your Humanities teacher? (Sorry, Ms. Rodic.) Did you even think about what you might be rating them on? Probably not. That’s because I led with a celebrity’s name in the context of a movie titled after someone known for seduction. But there’s another reason. That’s that you’ve been conditioned to respond to that question by objectifying people. We all do it. You’re not alone. It’s hardwired.
I’m not saying we’re all Neanderthals. I’m optimistic most of us are above waving score cards in singles bars like we were bidding on livestock. Likewise, for a lot of us, a date’s inability to hold a conversation is a dealbreaker. But the point is we do appraise people physically, even if just initially. Studies actually show we’re attracted to attractive people. Fine. But have you ever been disappointed by someone who, based on their looks, you were sure could curl your toes? Conversely, have you ever had your hair blown back by someone who normally wouldn’t appear on your radar? If you answered ‘yes’ to either of those, you’ve already learned the most valuable lesson in “Don Jon.”
“Don Jon” is the writing-directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who also stars as the comedy-romance drama’s porn addicted lothario. Levitt convincingly channels the smug, gym card-carrying womanizer, Jon, who early in the story outlines all of the ways internet pornography is superior to the real thing. Jon’s quandary is that he’s never able to “lose himself” with any of his conquests in person like he’s able to alone in the glow of a laptop monitor.
Much of the movie unfolds in the nightclub where Jon, flanked by club buddies, spends time debating the finer points of issuing scores for women who have the privilege of being the evening’s catch. After a string of superficial one-nighters, Jon eventually his ever-elusive “10” in Barbara, a fast, high maintenance scenester from New Jersey played by Scarlett Johansson.
Jon finds liaisons are hard-won with Barbara, but PG steam would eventually rise between the two, despite Jon’s ongoing porn fixation. Barbara is a big hit with Jon’s family, who are a slightly more endearing working-class Italian Catholic model than Tony Manero’s in Saturday Night Fever, but things start to unravel when she gets ambitious.
Without spoiling too much, Jon, eventually happens into the life of Esther, an aging widow, played by Julianne Moore, who seemingly couldn’t be further from his score card standards, but Jon soon discovers meaningful connections are more than skin deep. Esther is the every bit the antithesis of Barbara, and helps Jon find his groove, helping cure his addiction.
While there’s more to be celebrated about Levitt’s debut on the whole, the story’s stride isn’t always balletic. The supporting cast highlights memorable contributions by Tony Danza, and the mother, played by the ageless Glenne Headly, but somewhat disappointingly fails to include Jon’s friends beyond the role of token stand-in. At times the movie struggles to keep up with the world-class acting of Julianne Moore, who–through no fault of her own–winds up stealing the spotlight in each of her scenes, before making a somewhat unceremonious exit.
“Don Jon” passed my pretty stubborn litmus for what makes a movie ‘good’ in that I knew I could sit through it again. The comedy in Don Jon is situational, and always tempered with grounded themes, but it never feels forced.
And the moral of the story bears repeating: In the context of dating, objectification is by definition a gamble, and in this case, was fraught with peril. Once we throw out the score cards, we may find our “11.”
Ultimately, “Don Jon” is a competent comedy drama with refreshing motifs, and a heartwarming, if slightly thin, finish. In all, not a bad first-outing for Levitt. If he can reign in his pacing, and get the kinks out in the editing room, it’s reasonable to expect good things from him in the future.
