When Don Jon’s Addiction, the porn-themed directorial debut of the affable Joseph Gordon-Levitt, debuted at Sundance earlier this year, reviews were generally positive. As Tim Wu reported for Slate, audiences swooned, and the the much-loved Gordon-Levitt seemed to have won over new fans with his first feature-length turn behind the camera. (He’s already directed some impressive short films.)
The trailer is finally here—the title has been shortened to the perhaps more commercial Don Jon—and it’s easy to see why the response to the film was so positive: It looks like a genuinely good time.
Gordon-Levitt stars in the film as Jon Martello, a New Jersey playboy who only cares about a few things, which he enumerates in the trailer: his body, car, family, girls, and porn. That last thing appears to be his most pressing preoccupation—an addiction, you might say. But with the introduction of Barbara, played by Scarlett Johansson, his attitudes toward women are, it seems, put to the test.
So far, so very rom-com. Gordon-Levitt appears to be channeling Mark Wahlberg by way of Jersey Shore—Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch provide musical accompaniment to both the trailer and a very amusing singalong scene—and Johansson proves equally game to try a thick accent and lots of gesticulation. The “opposites attract” premise certainly feels familiar: She can’t figure out why he loves porn, he doesn’t understand her love of romantic comedies. (Keep your eyes peeled for cameos by Anne Hathaway and Channing Tatum.)
But given Gordon-Levitt’s proven taste for more thoughtful projects, perhaps Don Jon has something more interesting to say about men and women than the trailer conveys. At the very least, it looks like we’re in store for a charming performance from the star, plus a great supporting cast (Julianne Moore, Tony Danza). And, if nothing else, Don Jon looks to be an entertaining romp.
