A movie about a porn addict might get an automatic turn off by those taking their families out to see a movie. And since higher ticket prices have turned movies into more family events than one person watching an art film, it might not necessarily help the Joseph Gordon-Levitt film “Don Jon.” But when you get past all the media hype about the film being about porn addiction, it also turns into an astute observation about how to cure this societal problem. It may change the perception of the romantic comedy into one that shows the connecting realities of the porn addiction issue.
So far, there’s only been one other film that’s delved into what porn addiction is doing to the males of the world. Steve McQueen’s “Shame” in 2011 managed to delve into the subject of sexual addiction in graphic detail. However, the ending of it didn’t really give any satisfactory answer as to how to solve the addiction to sex and porn. If you’ve seen the film, though, it does hint at a possible path.
It’s a path answered a little more clearly in “Don Jon” where Julianne Moore once again plays a character becoming pivotal in changing a situation for better or worse. That prior reference comes from Moore playing the second half of a lesbian couple in 2009’s “The Kids Are All Right” who happens to throw everything into a tizzy by having a sexual affair with a man.
This time, Moore throws the arc of the plot in “Don Jon” into a tailspin. Without giving away plot points, we’re left with the feeling that certain relationships can be satisfying enough to a point where porn addiction can perhaps be repaired. So what exactly is the remedy as “Shame” alluded to?
The parting shot in the ending of “Shame” is a woman wearing an engagement ring, giving us the impression that marriage and commitment to someone is enough to get any sex addict away from the edge. Julianne Moore’s character in “Don Jon” tames Gordon-Levitt’s wild Jon Martell in surprising ways that give the essence of marriage. However, the real factor is in finding compelling purpose and emotion behind certain relationships.
Those who study such things are probably astute to the fact that addiction to porn is strictly a reprogramming of the brain to a place it shouldn’t be. It takes away the ability to feel the emotions of another woman and feel the joy of personal communication. It seems like such an easy answer, despite porn addicts reshaping their brains to something considerably different from what those same brains likely were before the age of the Internet.
Moore’s character in “Don Jon” also has a particular emotional part of her past revealed that gives a real foundation for possibly permanently curing Martell’s porn addiction. Did the film really provide an answer to learn from for those finding similar addictions? Finding a relationship with a real purpose behind it may be the real answer, even though we still see far too many uncomfortable marriages and cohabitations out of convenience.
The above seems to be symbolized with Scarlett Johansson’s character Barbara Sugarman, who must have the most ironic last character name in any film of recent memory.
With comparisons to “Saturday Night Fever”, this film may be the psychological examination equivalent. “Don Jon” may also be long remembered dealing with a societal problem that ultimately found some hope in being reversed before society collapsed.