Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Is there anything he can’t do? Whether he’s showing off his indie chops in Rian Johnson’s stunning Brick, proving he can hold his own in a blockbuster in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises or tugging at the heartstrings in 50/50, the former child star has become one of the most exciting actors around.
And now you can see his latest, Don Jon, first and for free. That’s because our friends at Warner Bros are hosting an exclusive screening for ShortList readers. We’ve seen it, and it’s very good indeed. The screening takes place on Monday 11 November from 6pm and you can get your ticket here.
The funny-yet-profound Don Jon is also proof that Gordon-Levitt can do a good deal more than act, because he’s also on writing and directing duties. The film tells the story of ‘Don’ Jon (Gordon-Levitt), a ladies’ man with a problem: he is addicted to pornography. So, while women throw themselves at him, a relationship remains elusive as Jon objectifies the opposite sex due to his reliance on pornography.
“I wanted to tell a love story,” he says. “But what I’ve observed is, what often gets in the way of love is how people objectify each other.” So when Jon meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson in unquestionably her raunchiest role to date), he thinks he might have met ‘the one’, much to the delight of his parents. However, this is no rom-com. Big and difficult questions are both posed and answered, there are huge laughs along the way (mostly from former Taxi star Tony Danza, on scene-stealing form as Jon’s old-fashioned father) and you’ll leave the cinema feeling richer for the experience.
“This movie is really a character study with no car chases or explosions, no scenes in outer space,” explains Gordon-Levitt. “It felt like something I could do and I was very much intent on having total creative control.”
Don Jon is in cinemas nationwide from 15 November
(Image: All Star)
