4 Ways Don Jon Shows Joseph Gordon-Levitt Will Be A Great Filmmaker (And 4 Things He Needs to Fix)

2. He's Fearless

Don Jon 7 I don't think it can be said enough how absolutely gutsy JGL is for making his writing and directing debut with a movie like Don Jon. This isn't a softball rom-com that has flashes of raunchiness. This is a headfirst dive into a swimming pool of sleaze that JGL embraces entirely. He doesn't clean up the language for mainstream audiences and definitely isn't afraid to show characters getting hot and heavy. One brilliantly absurd scene features Jon dry humping Barbara outside her apartment, as she teases him mercilessly. The scene doesn't cut off short and Barbara doesn't stop Jon before he gets too far. We watch the whole time as JGL dry humps Scarlett Johansson, and ultimately orgasms. It's bizarre, hilarious, and not something you see in Hollywood movies. It doesn't stop there. As I already mentioned, there are clips of porn scattered throughout. Yeah, it's been obviously cropped to remove all serious graphic sexual content, but there is still tons of nudity, thrusting, moaning, bouncing, and all the rest that you'd expect from hardcore pornography. It makes perfect sense that these clips would be included; the movie is about a porn addict. But you still don't expect to see these things, especially in a movie written, directed by, and starring Tommy Solomon from 3rd Rock. It's important to note that the porn clips aren't arbitrarily tossed in there for shock value. JGL does work them in a way to inform his characters and the story.
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Nick DeNitto developed a passion for film in high school and has been writing about it ever since. Aside from WhatCulture, he writes for StageBuddy.com and FestivalOfFilms.com/blog. He is affiliated with the National Board of Review.