It's fantastic. JGL does great in all three departments of acting, directing, and screenwriting here. His performance is spot-on and all his lines are delivered well with the comedic ones shining. Scarlett Johansson may be the most attractive she has ever been in this film here though her role is just as good. Julianne Moore and Tony Danza also shine throughout the movie.

In ways it is the light-hearted version of Shame though the film doesn't tackle nearly the types of elements that film did though it didn't need to. The film just has a lot of fun with the subject at hand and I can't wait to see how JGL's next film behind the camera follows up.

There are also some fantastic cameos in this film.

I like the trailer to this. I'm looking forward to it.

So, how much are they going to have to cut to secure an R?

The premise got me interested, maybe I'm seeing it

The cut I saw basically felt like it was R-rated. There's nothing too sexually graphic like in Shame but it is filled with a good bit of porn snippets yet the context of those wouldn't give it an NC-17 rating.

Isn't JGL full frontal in this?

Trust you to know that.

Pretty sure I read it on here somewhere (maybe an article that was posted? I don't remember), I don't scout the internet looking to see what celebrity is nude in their movies.

I don't think he was full-frontal but I believe they had to trim down/edit out a lot of the graphic porn scenes.

But I know you're thinking of this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=69072&hilit=don+jon&start=25

I had asked if it had full-frontal in it because I'd read it would need to be trimmed for an "R" rating, and you said you hoped it was from JGL. So it's all in your mind that someone said he was full-frontal in it .

No. Though I think you can tell where they cut spots where he could have been.

It's incredibly entertaining, stylish, funny and surprisingly poignant. I was very impressed with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's work here both in front of and behind the camera, and Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore were both great. Also was cool to see Brie Larson again in a supporting role. A-

It's only a matter of time before Brie Larson scores a big role in some blockbuster just like Jennifer Lawrence did. I think she's a really good actress and she's earned raves for Short Term 12. She's going to get noticed.

Anyway, might go see it this weekend.

Saw it 2 weeks ago. Ok movie, don't feel like JGL is that talented behind the camera though serviceable. Maybe would like it more if watched Jersey Shore.

I don't think watching Jersey Shore would really influence enjoyment value on this film.

Surprised by Scarlett's performance. She hasn't really impressed me recently but I thought she was great in this. The dry grinding scene where she tells him go back to school was hilarious.

I liked the movie. It's a bit uneven and the family scenes don't work but overall it's a good debut for JGL. Surprised by how it ended but I guess Jon finding a way to enjoy sex with someone else is a good resolution.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt wears three hats in Don Jon, his uneven but enjoyable and occasionally perceptive debut. As a marginally more intelligent The Situation type, he delivers a nice comic performance very unlike anything else he's done. Scarlett Johansson is also very good, nailing the gum snappin' Jersey girl with far too lofty expectations. While I liked the exploration of porn addiction vs. romantic comedy fascination in terms of skewing relationship perceptions, I did feel he came up a bit short with Julianne Moore's character. Moore is radiant and lovely as usual, but Jon learning to "lose himself" in another person isn't conveyed as well as it probably should be. Despite this, the film is often very funny and represents a promising filmmaking debut for the young actor. B

Very good movie. I would gladly watch it again. I don't remember any movie talk of pornography like that.

4/5

So far this month of September has been of high quality for movies. Better than the summer, actually.

Very funny and clever with a great turn by Scarlett Johansson. One of my favorite performances by her, and she has never looked more gorgeous. Julianne Moore was also really lovable in a supporting turn. The ending was exactly how I wanted it to end and cemented my love of the film.

8/10 (A-)

BJs Grade:

A-

BJ likes, enjoyable film, could see it growing on me with time.

Although it's perhaps not as nuanced as it could be, Don Jon makes a strong case for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as not only an actor, but also as a strong force behind the camera. While there are elements about the film worth applauding that don't directly involve Gordon-Levitt, the film works most forcefully as a display of the extent of his creative talents. In front of the screen, he gives a characteristically solid performance in which he gets viewers to like his character despite some of the rougher edges. As a writer, he pens a script that has a lot to say about the ways we can put more stock in fantasy than reality, as well as the ways in which modern men are trained to objectify women; and the script makes its points about both topics with intelligence, sincerity, and bite, even if they could be fleshed out a bit more. And finally, as a director, he certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel from a technical standpoint, but there's energy from scene to scene, and he gets sufficiently human performances from his cast. Scarlett Johansson is good as usual as the love interest, and she thankfully avoids the mistakes of playing the character too sweet or too rough. Tony Danza isn't as good as Robert De Niro in covering territory similar to that of Silver Linings Playbook, but he still has his moments, as do Glenne Headly and the nearly dialogue-free Brie Larson as other family members. The unsung hero, however, is Julianne Moore. Even though her character's "twist" is easily predictable, she brings enough raw humanity to the role that she changes the game for Gordon-Levitt's character and the audience alike. It's definitely an above-average start for Gordon-Levitt behind the camera, and I look forward to seeing what else he can do while filling multiple production roles.

B+

An admirable, but slight and flawed directorial debut by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The title character, "Don" Jon, is a muscular and profane Italian American man who devotes his time to his dysfunctional family, the gym, the Church, nightclubs, sex with women met in the clubs, and his laptop, which he uses to fulfill his intense porn fixation. Gordon-Levitt the writer/director conveys this routine to a claustrophobic degree with cyclic and frantic editing, and the film often flirts with becoming a well-intentioned drag. Gordon-Levitt the actor does a nice job, however, infusing a character who could have proven incredibly grating with a certain charm and complicated humanity.

The central dynamic, the central question, is simple: why does Jon prefer porn to real sex? As a melancholy and open-minded woman who enters the film halfway through, dominates the third act, and is the only person on the screen who is not an over-the-top Italian American caricature and thus must be a source of sage wisdom, Julianne Moore is given the unenviable assignment of diagnosing and teaching Jon through on-the-nose expository dialogue. Her character is ultimately a variation on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype. She is just not a manic pixie. More fun are the scenes with Jon and a vivacious, lurid, and truly hilarious Scarlett Johansson as a man devouring, power mad Jersey girl who tries to tame and "perfect" Jon and is disgusted by his porn habit. Johansson, portraying a type of antagonist and stepping out of her comfort zone, is the film's chief pleasure.

C+

One of 2013's best and smartest films. A film about emotional disconnect to people, causing Jon by the start of the film to not only treat others as objects, but become one himself not only with his porn obsession but otherwise routine and repetition-heavy life. But JGL is a smart enough writer to understand context is key. It's not just that he's like this but why. The parents scenes are so smartly written because they are no better than Barbara, perhaps worse. Like Barbara they are selfish and can only give Jon advice/present expectations on the surface, instead of being able to read or guide him emotionally. They loved Barbara immediately instead of seeing the red flags Brie Larsen did, because Barbara appealed to their very shallow perspective of what people should be.

This emotional disconnect from his parents for Jon is the root of his inability with everyone else. The church inclusion is interesting because it show an institution of rules and criticism, by the end acting unfairly/illogically (not lowering his hail marys) embodying a similar perspective Barbara and his parents would have. When Barbara tells him not to clean his floor even though he likes doing it, it's as restrictive as the church is about telling him masturbation is a sin. Barbara like Jon, has built her life around expectations about what she and other people should be (as shown with the romantic comedy obsession) and a world of object hunting/being, which equally restricts her from an emotional relationship. Of course, the Julianne Moore character is the truest human in the film and gives Jon the chance at a real emotional connection. Albeit the end is somewhat of a cliffhanger, we do not for sure whether Jon has achieved an emotional breakthrough or thinks he has, or whether it will last. Furthermore it's not revealed whether Moore has an emotional connection to him, or whether to her he's an object to own like so many others in the film, representing both youth and a son, two things she's lost

JGL's directing is also sharp, crisp and entertainingly directed. It's a CLEAN film, which I liked. The editing is one of the year's best with quick cuts and repetition all over the place that works beautifully. JGL's performance as Jon itself is great because he both needs to be a character who's all about the surface to the point where it's a character flaw, but also with a suffering human underneath. Very difficult combo to pull off and he does it. Add in well written dialog and I'd say his talent shines all around. I also thought ScarJo was phenomenal, between this and Her and stage success, sure feels like she's going to "arrive" as a serious actress again

Simply one of the year's standout films and one who's depth I feel has been under-recognized

shameless

Don Jon

I had a smile on my face pretty much all the way through the film. It's a smart blend of bro movie and shameless reality. Not many films would be so brave to tackle this unwanted shady area of a man's life. Column inches have dedicated themselves to exploring the female psyche for years now, but not much is ever given to the true male libido, instead it's given to how we should be and how gentlemanly we should aspire to be. Don Jon is not cutting any corners in getting to the nitty-gritty of how males see sex, relationships, and porn, and their relationship with all three, and I appreciate and respect Levitt for that. The superficiality is the bro aspect. But then it deepens and still speaks true of sex, relationships and porn. There is a lot to be seen in this film. I suppose it depends on how much you can relate to it, and I could relate to a lot and thus, I loved it. It's a special and rather poignant gem of a film.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a fine job as the cocky and macho, yet surprisingly impressionable, Italian-American looking for the "dream girl". He finds it, or so he thinks. He also surprised me behind the camera. Very competently made. Julianne Moore was good and Scarlet Johansson depicted the controlling, spoilt princess (that all men really hate but never admit it to themselves) really, really well. She can actually act!

The area where it's lacking is the score, which is pretty much non-existent. I appreciated the 90s dance classic, "Sweet Vibrations", but apart from that I am struggling to remember more food for the ears in this well-crafted realisation of society and modern men. The editing is not perfect either.

A-