His body. His pad. His ride. His family. His church. His boys. His girls. His porn. Jon Martello Jr. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is both a God-fearing family man, and a porn-addicted meathead who recites Hail Mary’s while doing chin-ups at the gym.  Girls are objects to be rated on the 10-scale and banged before indulging in the ladies that grace his MacBook screen, Jon’s true love. When Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) and Esther (Julianne Moore) enter his life, Jon begins to realize that maybe, just maybe there’s something to the whole relationship thing. Unfortunately, Barbara has an addiction of her own–romantic chick flicks and Disney princess fantasies that warp her worldview in the same way porn does Jon’s.

Don Jon is an edgy and hilarious comedy not only starred in, but also written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film’s smart take on gender politics make this a must-watch for anyone who grew up in the age of media supremacy. This clever critique of the gendered messages we receive (the film is nuanced enough to have Jon order Coke, while Barbara orders Diet Coke) begs the question–in a world that raises men and women so differently, is it ever possible for them to truly come together and connect?

Don Jon will screen on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Princess of Wales and Wednesday, September 11 at 3:00 p.m. at Ryerson Theatre.

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Sabrina Maddeaux is Toronto Standard’s managing editor. Follow her on Twitter at @sabrinamaddeaux.

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