Don Jon

A rather icky confession of one generation. In his director’s debut, Don Joe speaks to the masses who sit every night by their computers with a pack of tissues. He paints Scarlett as a tough bitch and we are presented in the right (well, still a bit twisted) light. Nice debut piece. Keep up the good work. (03/01/2014)

Don Jon does not have nice characters, nor does it offer anything that dazzles or inspires. But it is distinctive, it knows what it wants to say and says it honestly and aptly. I applaud Gordon-Levitt for choosing to make this for Sundance festivalgoers and not for the much more numerous (and big-spending) consumers of dime-a-dozen Hollywood romances. (07/11/2013)

This film looks different on the outside (synopsis, trailers) than what it is. I wasn’t expecting it to be so mature and self-aware, my appreciation for Gordon-Levitt has risen. Until now I regarded him as an interesting actor, but now I seem him as an interesting filmmaker who knows what he wants to say without pandering. (03/01/2014)

Wow, so the girl is breaking up with her boyfriend because he watches porn. And she even accuses him of being a hypocrite because he does it. The question is whether Gordon-Levitt meant it as hyperbole or if there really are people who think like this. So maybe yes. I have a bit of a problem with the whole movie, whether it was intentional or if the social criticism was just coincidental. The unpleasant characters are clearly intentional, I've never seen Scarlett so horrible before. The movie wants to say something, but in the end I had the feeling that it didn't quite succeed. When I compare it to a similarly self-destructive movie like "Shame", the message is not as strong and it's more of a pointing out of problems in society. Not that people watch porn, but that they are unable to communicate. (28/01/2014)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's striking feature film debut may have a significantly smaller scope than it tries to appear, but when it fully flexes all its muscles, it works perfectly. Life truths, however wrapped in seemingly trivial issues of pornography or personal space, are sometimes just a few short sentences away from us. And to put such thoughts on paper, to film them, and even to play the central sixpack character takes courage. (23/12/2014)