Don Jon

After Her and Captain America, I was needing another Scarlett Johansson fix before Lucy comes out this summer. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt is always good. Gordon-Levitt as Jon is the ultimate Jersey gigolo. A new girl every night, cocky and good looking. But he likes his porn and eventually it becomes more important to him than real relationships. Johansson (as Barbara) is the first long term relationship he has tried in awhile, and the reality/porn conflict obviously rises between them. What I enjoyed about this film was the "Jersey-ness". Not having spent time in Jersey myself, the actors put together a consistent portrait that I would guess is right on the border between reality and caricature. The accent, the walk, the attitude, the lip snarl. Brilliant and hilarious. What I wonder about is the conflict between the story told and the message. How should I feel about a film that ultimately presents an anti-misogynist message after 90 minutes of misogyny. Is the "anti" message really the point? Or is this just the way to make the film palatable to a wider audience, with the good hollywood message/ending? And how might this be different than a film like Hero that uses massive violence, but ultimately preaches a non-violent ethic? Does the moral-of-the-story justify the-story?

3 stars (out of 5)