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Don Jon Argues for Connection over Consumption

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Funny, frank and ultimately beautiful, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Don Jon argues for a sexual ethic of connection. Gordon-Levitt wrote and directed the smart send-up of sexual consumerism and also stars as the title character: a tanned, muscled and gelled New Jersey player with a porn problem. Don Jon lays (very) bare the shortcomings of one-sided sex, whether it’s Jon’s cyber-habits or his girlfriend Barbara’s lust-tooled manipulation.

[Trigger warning: Don Jon is graphic. We are dropped into Don Jon’s world, porn clips and all. If you’re uncomfortable with explicit sex, even in the service of good, this is not your film. And if you’re emotionally triggered by the topic of porn addiction, skip it or take a good friend to help you process afterward. Take care of yourselves, people.]

Even though the film fails the ever-popular Bechdel Test (does the work of art contain two women who have a conversation about  something other than men?), it’s one of the most staunchly feminist flicks in recent memory. Gordon-Levitt deconstructs the male gaze with a heavy dose of irony. Along with the porn clips that litter Jon’s life are startlingly similar clips from prime-time TV and commercials. The film opens with a string of images that could be read as a young Jon’s introduction to skewed sexuality by way of “normal” TV viewing. Our culture and its cameras have long looked on women as objects; no wonder Jon and his friends refer to women as “that,” dropping personal pronouns altogether in favor of numerical rating. (As in “That’s a seven.” “No, that’s an eight.”)

The film also exposes the stereotypically female version of selfish sexuality: Using sex as a tool to get what you want. Jon’s girlfriend, Barbara, is enamored with Hollywood romance. Scarlett Johansson plays Barbara’s unquestioning commitment to a fantasy ideal with aplomb. Barbara’s ideal? A man who will do anything for the woman he loves. Our glimpse into Barbara’s childhood—we see her at a princess-themed party for a younger relative—implies she was raised to see herself as a prize…which is also an object. She uses sex to try to mold Jon into her dream man. On an early date, she won’t let Jon into her apartment, purring “It’s so much better when it means something,” while they make out in the hallway. But what she does next is sexual manipulation at its basest. The scene is both funny and horrifying.

Gordon-Levitt thoughtfully constructs the film to highlight the ritualization of Jon’s sexual habits. Scenes, shots and sounds are repeated as Jon goes through his pattern-driven life. The sound of his laptop powering on. The steeple of his church. The hallway of his gym. And that male gaze? It’s showcased with into-the-camera close ups of Jon as he stares at his laptop or at girls in the club. And even through the screen at the confession booth (another one-sided transaction: a few Hail Mary’s earn his weekly pardon). It’s a well-planned motif that delivers in the end as we see clearly the difference between eyes that consume and eyes that connect.

Nathan Johnson’s superb score musically underlines Jon and Barbara’s sexual delusions with clubby beats and lush strings, respectively. Johnson’s third theme, a quietly beautiful acoustic guitar piece, leads Jon’s transition from consuming to connecting. I won’t give too much away about that transition, other than to say that Julianne Moore’s character, Esther, was very different from what I’d guessed from previews. She offers something entirely missing from Jon’s life—vulnerability—and it’s transformational.

Bottom line: Don Jon is a powerhouse of a directorial debut and a must-see for anyone interested in gender politics, sexual ethics and cultural critique. Plus: Hilarious. The film opens nationwide on September 27.

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Sarah Magill

Sarah Magill has a full-time movie habit made possible by a day-time greeting card writing gig. She blogs at Gimme Some Film and is learning to write scripts and direct. She tries to balance her screen obsession with trail running, jazz singing, book clubbing, and hanging out with The Best Golden Retriever Ever, Copa.

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0 comments on “Don Jon Argues for Connection over Consumption”

  1. I am so glad I found this review! I was intrigued by this as soon as I saw the preview, but I wasn’t sure if I would love or hate the message it gave. I think it sounds like I’ll love it. It dawned on me after seeing the preview that I had never heard of another film dealing with pornography as a serious issue rather than just a joke. Shocking considering how pervasive it is in our culture. I can’t wait to see how the movie deals with it–plus, I love JGL so….

    • I’m glad you found the review, too : ) Yes, it was really refreshing to see pornography dealt with seriously (with plenty of humor thrown in). Too often in films, porn is just a side joke that implies, as Jon says in the movie, “Everybody looks at it every day!” without further discussion. And discussion is very much needed! Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think after you see the movie!

  2. You saw it! Excellent….can’t wait to see it next week. Great review, cool that Nathan Johnson did the music too–he is rocking!

  3. i keep thinking about this film and how pleasantly surprised i was by it. i had no idea what that film was about going into it and a bit like “oh sheesh” at the start of the film, but it won me over with the story, the ridiculous yet believable characters, and fantastic humor.

  4. My roommate and I went to see it last night and honestly I didn’t know what it was really about (except that it was loosely based on Don Juan I guess, haha) and I was like WOAH. But it was really good, and I liked the way it was shot. (Although seeing JGL in a non-adorable role was weird ;) haha)

    • So glad you liked it, too. I think this film will surprise a lot of people. The trailers don’t give you any idea that you’re in for an emotional experience (in addition to a funny one). It’s almost like they are trying to get the real-life Jon and Barbaras in the theater! Also read they are advertising the film on “adult” sites — brilliant.