Upon the invention of this series, I was hoping Does It Float? would successfully show how a movie can be conceived in different ways.  It doesn’t always have to be a positive experience turning into a negative one or vice versa, however.  Maybe a movie could still be a solid watch on separate occasions for different reasons.  Who would’ve guessed Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s feature length directorial debut Don Jon would be that film to prove this?

Don Jon was the first TIFF film I saw in a theatre when my festival coverage was kicking off; and, what a great movie to start the moviegoing.  I thought Don Jon was a sharp take on old fashioned Hollywood romance being set in a modern day social scene inspired by pop culture hits like MTV’s Jersey Shore.

Gordon-Levitt makes these lively environments into a watering hole for pining young men in search of an alluring one-night-stand.  The ambitious director/writer/actor doesn’t paint males or females in a way that’s discriminating, but rather gives the typical stereotype a persistent voice and mind.

My cringing reaction to Don Jon’s crassness is still in tact even moreso now.  I remember reading other reviews once mine went live, and the number of people who warned their readers about the vague clips from actual pornography was very high.  These cutaways didn’t bother me so much the first time around because I was too busy reacting to how blunt and graphic Jon describes sex.  But, on a second viewing, I had more of a realization as to how often these snippets would roll out at full force.

This leads me into my re-watch of Don Jon.  A lot of my original admirations and criticisms are still relevant, but because I was more aware of the film’s unique characteristics, I couldn’t help but feel the film taking on a more abrasive role with a more intimate home viewing experience.  However, Gordon-Levitt’s flick may have served me a new hand of cards, but I came up with results that surprised me.

Go on and watch the sixth webisode of Does It Float?.

Read my original capsule review here!

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