Some child stars learn to overindulge. Joseph Gordon-Levitt learned to work the system. He put in his time as a kid ("Angels in the Outfield", "A River Runs Through It") and acted in a wide variety of films as a young adult, from mainstream cheesy ("Halloween H20") to teen rom-com ("10 Things I Hate About You") to low-budget cult (the brilliant "Brick").
Then "(500) Days of Summer" happened, and Gordon-Levitt wasn't so free anymore. He was a "type". He'd never get cast in certain roles again, so he took his career into his own hands. "Don Jon", Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, which he also wrote and stars in, is an ambitious opportunity that doesn't always work. At the same time, you have to admire his initiative and effort and hope he gets it right the next time.
Jon (Gordon-Levitt) is a good-natured New Jersey guy who lives for the gym, Sunday Mass, dinner with his family (headed by Tony Danza) and nights in the club where he also bartends. He can, and does, take a different girl home every night, but doesn't find nearly as much fulfillment in sex as he does in online porn. When Jon meets good girl Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), he considers settling down for the first time, but can he kick his dirty habit?
"Don Jon"'s plot is pretty standard — bad boy tries to make good — and at first, Gordon-Levitt's gruff-voiced Jon looks and sounds almost cartoonish. The film lags considerably toward the last third of its 90-minute running time. In fact, it may have worked better as a short.
However, Gordon-Levitt's savvy and humor shines through in some unexpected moments. Watch for a fun cameo from a couple of his high-profile pals. A subplot involving Jon's night-school classmate (Julianne Moore) leads to genuine empathy, and Jon's sullen, mostly nonverbal sister (Brie Larson) is a funny addition. This is perhaps the most emotion I've ever seen Johansson show, and Gordon-Levitt thoroughly embraces Jon, in all his stubborn, tough-guy glory.
"Don Jon" will never be a classic, but it's a worthy rental. It's not the most brilliant directorial debut out there, but it shows potential. Gordon-Levitt should get another chance to helm a movie and who knows, next time he could be great.
http://youtu.be/6615kYTpOSU