Don Jon, not your average rom-com

Let's call a spade a spade - Don Jon is about porn. More specifically, it is a look at the life and relationships of porn-obsessed Jon; dubbed 'Don Jon' by his friends, for his ability to bag the hottest women for a succession of easy, meaningless one-night stands. Until he meets his perfect 10, his 'dime', who is to change the way he feels about women and sex and porn... but does she?

This is a very admirable debut into writing and directed for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who also takes the title role. I was impressed by his convincing portrayal of shallow, egotistical, New Jersey playboy. Gordon-Levitt's bulked-up, ripped physique and cocky persona is far removed from his shy, likeable, boy-next-door roles such as that of 10 Things I Hate About You, (500) Days of Summer and 50/50.

On top of that, his accent is so different; I thought it was someone else doing the voice over in the beginning. Moreover, while critics are calling his Mid-Atlantic accent exaggerated and overdone, it was good enough for me to peg him somewhere between Philadelphia and Brooklyn. (For any Philly or Brooklyn locals who want to point out the nuances of the dialects to me, understand that I'm South African. And anyway, isn't the quickest way from one to the other through New Jersey?)

Scarlett Johannsen plays Barbara Sugarman, his gum-smacking, rom-com-loving dime. While I am personally not a huge fan of Johannsen, she plays the part of status-seeking, high-maintenance girlfriend very well. While I'd like to stay away from spoilers, one of my favourite scenes is their little domestic over his domesticity... I mean, really, who doesn't love a guy who does his own housework?

Clichés sum up the reality

While much of the negative criticism of the film is centred round this clichéd nature of the characters, there's a simple reason characters become stereotyped: it's because it's usually true to form and the best way to drive home the satirical point is to play characters and relationships in extremes and drive it does.

As the writer, Gordon-Levitt takes aim at the fairy tales the film industry has created of relationships - Jon's preference being cheap, vulgar porn flicks and Barbara's being the idealistic love stories that are romantic comedies. Jon is dissatisfied with real sex because it is not what it is made out to be in pornos and Barbara wants Jon to be a rom-com caricature, willing to drop everything to be with her. However, is what either of them looking for really real?

Anyone attacking the script for a lack of clever dialogue is clearly missing the point. What kind of highbrow witty prose was one expecting to hear from the mouth of a muscle car-driving, gym-bunny-cum-bartender with a serious predilection for porn? (My apologies to the exceptions to that stereotype.) So do not confuse the lack of smart conversation for dim subtext. The meaning behind the film is far from unintelligent.

I loved watching Jon's character evolve on the backdrop of the repetition of his mundane daily routines. His Saturday nights out with the boys (and later, dates with Barbara) are comically contrasted with his Sunday morning visits to church and weekly confessional, followed by lunch with the family, then Hail Marys at the gym.

Nobody could be better cast as Jon's hot-headed, football-loving, Italian father than Tony Danza; while Glenne Headly plays his mother, who just wants her little boy to find "the one", settle down, and make her a grandmother. Brie Larson plays Jon's sister, a typical teen who spends almost the entire movie in text-enthralled silence on her phone. Her single speaking part is profoundly insightful of Barbara's personality and her expectations of Jon. Then there are the cringe-inducing encounters with over-emotional classmate, Esther, played by Julianne Moore. As to how it all plays out, I'll let you see for yourself.

Not a first date movie

A warning though: this is not for the easily scandalised; and it is definitely not a first date movie. Nor should it be seen with your parents, or in fact anyone you do not feel entirely comfortable with.

Is it worth the admission? Well, while there are definitely movies that are better suited to the big screen experience, I wasn't disappointed given that it was not a special effects-based, HD-graphic intensive movie (although it was graphic *ahem*).

Although, had I not done a little digging into the nature of the film, I may have felt very uncomfortable watching this in a theatre amongst strangers. I did decide to move from my place in front of a group of teenage boys to an empty row down front so I could laugh, snigger, cringe and shake my head knowingly on my own in the comfort of darkness. There was more skin on show than I think I expected, but nothing that would class it hard-core (although apparently the airing at the Sundance Festival was another story all together). It was more the intimation and Jon's voice-over run-down of what he was into that could make sensitive viewers uncomfortable. The more squeamish should probably wait for the DVD.

That said, this is a movie every couple should see at some point, as well as those single guys and girls who are struggling to find a real connection...