LFF 2013: Don Jon

Playing against his wholesome appeal, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's debut outing as a writer/director spins a comedy of internet porn addiction, love, family, church – and a man who loves to do his own cleaning. Set in contemporary New Jersey, Gordon-Levitt is Jon, a muscle-bound young greaser who loves the ladies but prefers his own hand.

Between bedding attractive girls rated on a scale of 10 by his “boys” (Rob Brown and Jeremy Luke), enduring stereotypical family meals (featuring a blowsy Glenne Headly, a chiseled Tony Danza and silent sister Brie Larson) and racing home to spend quality time with his laptop, he meets his fantasy woman, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson). She doesn't like that he loves cleaning his own apartment and she won’t sleep with him until he improves himself. At a night class, Jon meets a weepy, too familiar mature student (Julianne Moore) who becomes pivotal to his future as a "real man".

This foray into the consequences of porn addiction suits the rough-hewn setting. As more young men (and women) learn about sex almost exclusively from pornography, Don Jon's blatant take is both shocking and a bit dull at first, but warms up to reveal a good old-fashioned morality tale. Don Jon is a lot more fun that it should be, and as a writer/director, Gordon-Levitt clearly loves those who deliver and who would benefit from the comedy's important message. Production values are fine, save for cinematography which manages to make both Moore and Johansson look unattractive.