SYNOPSIS: Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she's determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. Wrestling with good old fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

REVIEW:  

Barbara: Movies and porn are different, Jon. They give awards for movies. 
Don Jon: And they give awards for porn too. 

So basically Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has an obsession for porn to the point of addiction. Healthy or unhealthy, Jon is going to learn some difficult lessons from the unlikeliest of teachers from his point of view. But hey, Jon is your everyday typical guy with focus on his priorities of life.

Don Jon: There's only a few things I really care about in life. My body. My pad. My ride. My family. My church. My boys. My girls. My porn. 

He’s got it all figured out until he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) and he thinks he’s ready to graduate to the next level and actually be in a relationship. I mean, Barbara is the one. But is Jon fooling himself into thinking this is meaningful or is he still under the trance of his shallow ways. This film delves into the realm of relationships, addictions, pornography, values, and sexuality. It has a flare of cheesiness but on purpose to make it more funny and light. For starters we are dealing with a New Jersey backdrop in all its splendor with heavy Jersey accents and all (both Joseph and Scarlett did their accents really well). It seems like an episode of Jersey Shore (even though I’ve never seen it so I’m just guessing). I don’t find it to be much of a coincidence that Joseph’s character Jon looks a lot like “The Situation”. But don’t be fooled because the movie does have its share of depth and drama. It’s a pretty good mix that entertains but be warned, the movie is beyond racy and raunchy. Calling the movie sexy is an understatement. Its biggest negative might be that it’s almost like watching soft porn (not that I’ve ever seen that either, only guessing). I believe it just made the R rating cause it really pushes the envelope.

The cast for this film is well assembled and appropriate. Oh Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett . . . wow! I recently labeled her the modern day Marilyn Monroe as far as sex symbol status. She looks great and nails her role with an excellent and authentic performance. Another authentic performance is given by someone who does not have to try too hard to do it, Tony Danza. It was nice to see him on the big screen and he did great. Julianne Moore looked a little out of place but regardless, she delivers a sharp and significant performance. Now as for the star of the show, not only does he make the title character his own . . . well duh, of course he does because he also wrote and directed this work. Joseph has come a long way since the first time I ever saw him which was in Angels in the Outfield. He has had an incredible career in cinema already, and to top that off, now he’s writing and directing, and he’s only 32. Well not too shabby for his first time out with a major motion picture. He’s taking on real life issues in a real life scenario and throwing it at your face without holding back. Bold moves for a relative rookie but well done and well balanced, not too light and not too heavy. Oh yeah, the car is pretty hot too . . . good choice. 

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