During a Sept. 25 appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” writer-director-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt explained his new film “Don Jon” in Hollywood terms. He said that the images of romance, love and sex for both men and women is an illusion created by the Hollywood industry and the main characters in “Don Jon” reflect this reality. He also stated that everyone watches porn and intimated that this is where everyone learns about sex. (Colbert countered that he learned about sex from the Bible.)
Though what Gordon-Levitt says about the Hollywood dream machine is true enough, and though there are moments of truth in the film, I think he is playing with fire here. His character, “Don” Jon Martello, ladies’ man, tends bar and the only important things in his life are his obsessive-compulsive need to clean his apartment, his family — mom Angela (Glenne Headly), dad Jon Sr. (Tony Danza) and sister Monica (Brie Larson) — weekly Mass and confession, maintaining his physique at the gym, and pornography. He and his pals ogle girls as if they were hunks of meat.
When Jon meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson), he is completely infatuated even though she refuses to sleep with him for a while. After she gets Jon to go back to school so he can better himself and they consummate their relationship, Barbara checks Jon’s computer and sees that on that very day he has visited more than 20 porn sites online. She is furious and breaks up with him. Meanwhile he has met a sad older woman at night school, Esther (Julianne Moore). Even though she catches him watching portable porn on his cell phone and scorns him for it, they begin a relationship after Angela breaks up with Jon.
Esther explains very well the corrosive and destructive nature of porn and Jon tells about having access to porn from a young age, from magazines, progressing to the video machine in his bedroom, to the computer.
But from a Catholic perspective, from a human perspective, this story is wrought with deep problems that are never truly resolved. Jon’s life looks good on the outside but he is narcissistic, immature and non-integrated as a man. He does get to the point of abandoning porn after Esther explains why it is harmful but neither he nor Esther give any thought to true commitment as they carry on their closed-circuit affair.
Another moment of truth in the film is when Monica, who is glued to her smart phone and never utters a word until the end, says Barbara had an agenda and was going to mold him as she wanted. Everybody just uses everybody, is the film’s nihilistic message.
While true enough, watching a Jane Austen-like romance movie is not the same as watching porn, though some females can be unrealistic and narcissists, too, as the recent film “Austenland” showed (though it was never about porn).“Don Jon” (USCCB rating O, MPAA rating R) tries to be funny, but it ends up being very cynical about love, authentic sexuality and commitment.
If you want to look for increments of human development in the film, there is another moment at the end when Jon goes to work out at the gym and instead of exercising by himself, as usual, joins a basketball game with others. Of course, it’s a good thing Jon goes to confession every week, says he is sorry, and recites his penance dutifully. The confessor is problematic, perhaps purposefully so, because he never offers any advice to Jon, just ups the number of prayers accordingly.
Jon knows what is right and wrong, and wears his crucifix proudly, but this Jersey boy doesn’t know anything about what faith, hope and love mean in daily life. Without authentic human relationships, a relationship with God becomes even more difficult and distant, even if someone goes to church every week.
At least there is hope for change.“Don Jon” is the third film about the destructive nature of pornography in general release since 2008, beginning with the successful Christian film “Fireproof” (A-II, PG). Kirk Cameron plays a firefighter addicted to porn to the extent it destroys his relationship with his wife.
While I am not a fan of Christian films whose aim is to teach Sunday school rather than tell a compelling story, I think “Fireproof” is a DVD every family, youth group and catechetical program should buy, show and talk about.
In 2011 the British film “Shame” (NC-17, no USCCB rating) showed the explicit nature of the main character’s addiction to pornography and masturbation, which is destroying the man in every way — from work to family, to his inability to love another. It is a very difficult film to watch; by the end we don’t know if the man will get help with his addiction or just give up and give in to pornography’s devastating effects.
Daughter of St. Paul Sister Rose Pacatte is director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City. Her film reviews and essays may be found at http://sisterrosehomepage.com.
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