Celebrity

Don Jon Talking Points: 10 Essential Facts

by 9/27/2013

Grab your mom, pop up some popcorn, and get ready to enjoy a flick that’s all about porn. On the surface, Don Jon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s full-length directorial debut, is about a Jersey boy who views women as objects whose sole purpose is to get him off. But underneath all that almost-nudity is a smart comedy that examines how media shapes our expectations and provides an escape from our everyday lives. With porn.

Before you head out to theater, take a look at the following talking points to ensure your post-film discussions are of the highest caliber.

1. JGL Gets B-U-F-F.

[Photo Credit: Relativity Media]

To embody Jon Martello, Joseph Gordon-Levitt transformed himself into a muscular gym rat who puts workouts up there with weekly confession. He’s not looking to settle down with anyone right now, and his priorities are in order (as far as he sees it). Plus, he follows his father’s footsteps by wearing a white tank to Sunday dinner and always changes the sheets after a female friend spends the night.

2. The men talk a good game.

Jon and his friends hit the local clubs in search of a perfect “10,” a title that varies in its definition depending on who you’re talking to. While Jon doesn’t have to do much chit chat to seal the deal, his pals Bobby (Rob Brown) and Danny (Jeremy Luke) offer up some of their best work with the opposite sex.

3. Scarlett’s Jersey girl is straight out of the Sopranos.

[Photo Credit: Relativity Media]

Snapping her gum and making sure her lipstick is always impeccably applied, Barbra knows what she wants and is the quintessential dream girl in the eyes of many. Just don’t talk to her about housework…

[GIF Credit: Stacy Lambe]

4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a first time director… but not really.

Don Jon is JGL’s first feature length film, but haven’t you heard of his collaborative production company, hitRECord? He’s been doing this for years.

5. Brie Larson doesn’t say more than 12 words.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

But they are very important words! The above total is just an estimate for the Spectacular Now and Short Term 12 star who is definitely having a moment in the latter half of 2013. While the majority of the role of Jon’s sister Monica requires her to be a quiet, ambidextrous texter, she ends up being the most sensible in a family of hot heads.

6. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tony Danza finally reunite.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

Danza plays Jon Martello, Sr., a family man who never gives a football game his full attention. And you thought Angels in the Outfield was a distant memory of your sleepover days and/or first discovery that Dermot Mulroney is a stone cold fox? Nearly 20 years have passed, but we always believed!

7. Fans of Nicholas Sparks will either feel hurt or validated.

A huge fan of heavy-handed romantic fairy tales, Barbra eats up meet-cutes and teary declarations of love every time she heads to the movie theater. The film’s take on this particular genre (and its tendency to cycle a certain crop of actors as well as select the vaguest title possible) is a humorous look at what we consume, no questions asked, and how these happy endings influence how we approach our own relationships. Critical lens aside, ScarJo shares our taste in movies!

8. Once again, JGL is singing after sex.

Fans of his take on “You Make My Dreams Come True” in (500) Days of Summer will not be disappointed by the ’90s tune Jon Martello opts to rock after he gets lucky.

9. Julianne Moore makes a case for night school.

Julianne Moore and her red hair are flawless… so who wouldn’t want to share notes with her?

10. Now that he’s a bona fide triple threat, there’s absolutely nothing JGL can’t do.

Just ask his cast.

Don Jon opens today.

[Photo Credit: Relativity Media]