MYST POST #5: Don Jon

 I have been meaning to see Don Jon since it came out but never got a chance to see it in theaters so I was ecstatic when I saw it on Netflix. I'm a big fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, not only for his acting, producing, and writing skills, but also because of who he is as a person. He considers himself a feminist and seeks to use the art of movie making as a way to express his beliefs and educate others. Don Jon is an auteur project for Gordon-Levitt, who directed the movie, wrote it, and acted in it. Part of his inspiration for the movie comes from his childhood when his mother taught him and his brother about how the media affects our perception and can be objectifying. Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore star alongside Gordon-Levitt, all of who display great acting. I loved the movie and thought it was a perfect directorial debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. 

Don Jon is a movie about Jon Martello, a man whose expectations of real life relationships are skewed by his addiction to porn. He sees women as objects and doesn't get as much pleasure out of real relationships than he does while watching porn. Throughout most of the movie, he keeps up a strict daily routine which involves working out, going to church, eating dinner with his family (Tony Danza plays Jon's dad), partying with his friends, meeting and hooking up with girls, and watching porn. He is a very surface-oriented guy--evidenced by his desire to keep up his physical appearance by going to the gym daily. He goes to church often, confesses his sins, and then promptly goes back to his normal routine. He objectifies women and finds porn better than real women. When he meets a girl, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), who makes him promise to stop watching porn, he seemingly begins to change his ways. But Barbara soon starts to control Jon's life. Jon goes to night school classes for her and meets Esther (Julianne Moore). Jon and Esther start hanging out and Jon realizes that he might be in love with her--something he never thought would happen to him. Esther breaks Jon out of his normal routine and introduces Jon to a more two-sided relationship, contrary to what Jon is used to. Jon begins to see his wrongs and even stops watching porn completely. By the end of the movie, a huge shift has happened in Jon. He begins to respect women and his relationship with Esther becomes meaningful and two-sided.

An interesting scene in the movie is when Jon goes to confession after changing his ways. Every other time when he confessed, he would have a long list of sins which he would then be absolved of. During this particular scene, Jon had been with Esther and had completely changed his ways. He was expecting more praise from the priest, so he is shocked when he doesn't receive it, and instead hears what he has heard every other time he had gone to confession. During this scene, a close-up is used on Jon's face throughout the whole shot, and Jon's face can be seen through the wire mesh that separates the priest from Jon. This close up is useful for showing Jon's surprised expressions, especially when the priest gives him an answer that Jon was not expecting or hopeful for. The camera remains in the same spot as the curtain is closed on Jon which heightens Jon's feeling of separation from the church at that moment. The confession scenes in this movie also offer criticism of the church and confession and how it can cause people to not feel bad for their actions. 

This movie examines gender roles and the role the media has in influencing our perceptions. A lot of times the media can be the cause of much objectification, because that is what we see often on TV--people, especially women, being objectified. In the movie at Jon's house, an actual Carl's Jr. commercial was shown on the family's TV which uses a woman to sexualize food. The movies can also play a role in how we view the world. In Don Jon, Jon talks about how he doesn't watch movies much because they are fake. He is upset that people watch them like they're real. The irony in this is that the porn that Jon loves so much is very fake but he treats it like it is real. Jon and Barbara get into an argument about the difference between the two. The movies and porn represent the idea of fantasy versus reality which is so present in the movie. Jon is stuck in his fantasies and ideas of how relationships and sex should be at the beginning of the movie, while Esther introduces him to reality. Traditional family and gender roles are also challenged. While eating dinner, Jon states that he may not want a wife and kids. His dad quickly becomes angered and says that "having a family is the greatest joy in a man's life." He goes on to basically say that to be a man you need a family. At this point in the movie, Jon is realizing who he really wants to be and argues with his dad about traditional family roles. This movie also challenges the idea of women as objects, something that we are, sadly, used to seeing through the media. The movie, however, offers hope that these ideas can be reversed.  

I loved Don Jon for its outstanding acting, charming humor, and social commentary. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so talented and intelligent, and I wouldn't expect anything less for his directorial debut. I hope his message reaches out to people and creates awareness of gender inequality and the powerful influence media can have on our perception and tendencies to objectify. Don Jon succeeded in presenting serious social issues in a way that was both funny and charming, and for that I would give Don Jon 4/5 stars. I have complete confidence in Joseph Gordon-Levitt and am super excited to see what else he will accomplish in his future. 

Rating: ★★★★☆