Crazy Stupid Love

Don Jon

Sex comedy.  Like, is that a real thing, a legit genre?  If not, I just made it up – because that’s the best way to describe Don Jon, an entertaining movie that was all at once a farce, satire, romantic comedy, and character study.

I recently found myself zealously defending J. Gordon Levitt (Looper) on Twitter to someone who saw him presenting an award at the MTV VMAs and quipped, isn’t that the guy from Third Rock From the Sun, has he done anything since then?  I replied with Inception, The Dark Knight Rises? Hello?  Levitt is quite the gifted, young actor in my estimation.  He brings a quiet, emotive sensitivity to his roles, and that vulnerability makes his characters more human and relatable.  That sensitivity resonated in movies like 50/50 and 500 Days of Summer, which featured emotionally compelling lead characters.  Well, Don Jon is a departure from those emo, heartwarming flicks for sure – though the ending may surprise you.

Don Jon marks Levitt’s debut as a writer/director, and I think viewers will find his style humorously authentic.  Levitt stars as Jon, a young man who looks like he could’ve been on Jersey Shore.  To my point, the movie is set in New Jersey and Jon is young, Italian, obsessed with his physique and always DTF (down to uh…let’s just say ‘fornicate’).  At first blush Jon is a walking cliché: a young man obsessed with his sexual conquests and women in general.  He and his friends go out prowling, and more often than not Jon is successful, at least in terms of “scoring.”  By any other metric, Jon is lacking, though he is oblivious to his emotional ineptitude.

You see, Jon’s sexual identity and habits are largely shaped by the world of digital porn.  His affinity for porn borders on compulsion.  He’s like a walking boner –  finding visual stimulation in the most innocuous of places, including the check out aisle of the grocery store.  However, lest you think Jon lacks even a modicum of substance – his lifestyle departs from vapidity when we glimpse his love of church and family, which is hilariously juxtaposed with his sexual exploits.

Sometimes it takes a particular experience or person to help us achieve self-actualization in certain aspects of our lives.  For Jon, meeting Barbara (Scarlett Johansson, Hitchcock) inadvertently changes his world.  To say that Barbara is alluring would be an understatement, and her physical appearance draws him in immediately.  Johansson and Levitt had magnetic chemistry, more than any pair I’ve witnessed recently.  Initially Jon is content to bask in Barbara’s sheer hotness, but most relationships that begin with such aesthetic adulation end in disappointment, and Jon begins to question his perceptions about dating and intimacy.  I don’t want to give away too much about the plot, but Julianne Moore (Crazy, Stupid, Love) is featured in a supporting role and perfectly adds to Jon’s character development, contrasting completely with Johansson’s more overt appeal.

I enjoyed Don Jon, because I thought it had a little more substance than people may give it credit for.  Sure, it’s funny and a little raunchy.  But it was also thoughtful, reflecting a depth of character that wasn’t readily apparent.  J. Gordon Levitt has given us a peek at his wheelhouse, and I want to see more.  This movie would make for a great date night, and unlike the typical rom-com: you won’t have to drag your man kicking and screaming.  Grade: B+

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Steve Carell has been pretty consistent with his comedic performances, save for 2010’s horrid Dinner for Schmucks.  He’s shown the ability to deliver laughs as well as heartfelt, dramatic performances, as found in Crazy, Stupid, Love and Dan in Real Life.  In his latest movie he joins Jim Carrey (Mr. Popper’s Penguins) and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a silly flick about dueling magicians.

Carell is Burt Wonderstone, an egotistical Vegas magician who performs a running act alongside his best friend and fellow magician Anton Marvelton (Buscemi).  They resemble Siegfried and Roy, and it’s especially funny to see Buscemi out of his element in such a ridiculous part.  They are joined by their able assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde, In Time), a gifted magician in her own right.  Although he performs for hordes of adoring fans each night, Burt was not always so popular.  His childhood was miserable until he received a magic set for his birthday and found his passion through the love of magic.

Fast forward to the present day and there is a new kid on the block in Steve Gray (Carrey), a character that is best described as a cross between Chris Angeland David Blaine.  Gray is capturing the public’s attention through his magic tricks that more closely resemble publicity stunts.  Some of his “tricks” include holding his urine for over a week and not blinking for days at a time.  His antics are intentionally absurd, but it wasn’t too far removed from some of the ridiculous feats attempted by David Blaine.  Magic is an easy subject to lampoon, so the storyline was ripe for laughs.  For starters, all three magicians take their craft very seriously, approaching their performances with a laughable level of intensity.

When Anton and Burt have a falling out after a failed magic trick, Anton finally stands up for himself and quits.  Burt tries to maintain the show, but it fails miserably.  His boss at the casino (James Gandolfini, Killing Me Softly) gives him one last chance to recapture the old magic if he can best rival Gray and come up with an unbelievable magic trick to beat all others.  The remainder of the movie pits Burt and Gray against one another, with pretty funny results.  Jim Carrey’s humor isn’t for everyone, but I’ve always been a fan of his quirky brand of physical humor.  He reminded me of his old performances on In Living Color and I thought he played well off Steve Carell.  Olivia Wilde was a good sport in her role and ably complimented the more experienced funnymen.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone was more ridiculous than funny, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The three lead actors didn’t take themselves too seriously, and that was the only requirement here.  It was not highbrow humor, but I enjoyed myself despite the silly premise.  Jim Carrey fans won’t be disappointed, although it won’t rank highly among his funnier solo efforts.  Similarly, Steve Carrell has also had smarter, funnier material to work with.  However, I can’t judge the movie too harshly.  It’s a movie about dueling magicians for goodness’ sake, what did you expect?

Grade: B

This article first appeared at Poptimal and was reprinted with permission.

Drive

I see you Ryan Gosling.  And I am not mad at all.  2011 is shaping up to be quite the year for Gosling.  He was in the heartfelt Crazy, Stupid, Love earlier this year alongside Steve Carell.  Next month he will star with George Clooney in the political thriller The Ides of March.  But it’s his current feature Drive that’s got me so intrigued.  What a unique, cool movie.  It might not satisfy everyone’s cinematic tastebuds, but I thought it was so nice I had to see it twice.

I never heard of director Nicolas Winding Refn (what a name) before this movie, but the cinematography was amazing. L.A. was shot beautifully, the night sky slick, cool and foreboding while the daylight shots were warm and sun-drenched. Certain cities add a distinct feel to a movie, if filmed with a deft hand.  Drive reminded me of other dark tales woven in the City of Angels, like Collateral and Heat (both directed by Michael Mann).  Of course I’m not saying this guy is as good as Mann, but he made L.A. look cool and sexy. And isn’t it? Anyway, Drive is appropriately titled.  The movie opens with Gosling’s character pulling a job for some unknown boss. He is a getaway driver, a Wheel Man.  He’s not involved in the heist/murder/random illegal act that requires flight, but he is the man who will make sure you get away cleanly.  If you follow his guidelines.  There’s a five minute window. He won’t be armed and he won’t participate – but he’ll drive.  Once those 5 minutes are up – you’re on your own.  We’re introduced to Gosling as a methodical, deliberate, solitary figure. Clearly adept at his trade, he doesn’t say much and casts a mysterious shadow.  We learn that he’s managed to also make a legit career of his driving skills, as he is a stunt driver in movies.  If Our Driver’s professional life seems dangerous and exciting – his personal life is decidedly more tranquil.

Again, Gosling is a solitary figure.  He doesn’t have much in the way of companionship, other than his boss on the movie set, Shannon.  That changes when he befriends his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) and her young son Benicio.  Irene sort of looks like Tinkerbell with her baby face, pixie haircut, and sweet disposition.  She and Gosling have a timid chemistry, and there are a lot of scenes where they just sort of stare at each other and blush quietly.  These scenes didn’t bother me, but I know some other viewers found it plodding.  Things get more interesting when Shannon approaches Gosling with the opportunity to race on a professional circuit, in a stock car.  By the way, I keep calling him Gosling because his name is never revealed. When the credits rolled he was listed simply as ‘Driver.’  Anyway, Shannon secured financial backing for the stock car from Bernie (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman, Hellboy), two underworld figures who probably have their hands in all kinds of chit.  Meanwhile, although Irene and Gosling have become fast friends and he is becoming a pseudo big brother/father figure for Benicio, she makes it clear early on that his father (her husband!), a dude named Standard, is in prison.  When she finds out that he’s getting released soon, we can only wonder what this will mean for her burgeoning relationship with Gosling.  Surprisingly, Standard just seems grateful that Gosling was a friend to Irene in his absence. He wants to atone for his misdeeds and just live a normal life with his family.  Unfortunately, it never works out that way, does it?  Some gangsters to whom he owes protection money want him to pull a job to satisfy his debt.  When he refuses, they beat him to a pulp and threaten to return for Irene and Benicio if he doesn’t comply.  It is here that our reluctant hero emerges.  Our Driver feels a kinship with Standard and a certain affinity for Irene and Benicio.  He agrees to be Standard’s Wheel Man for the job, on the condition that the job satisfies any remaining debt and that Irene and Benicio can live in peace.  That’s the plot for you, in a nutshell.

Drive had the emotional weight of a character study, but there wasn’t enough dialogue for me to call it that.  The entire movie felt stripped down, much like the main character. It was slick and atmospheric; thanks to the 80’s sounding score that permeated most of the movie and the way Gosling filled every frame he was in.  I don’t find him to be attractive in the most traditional sense, but my goodness the camera really loved him in this movie.  The word swag is dead, but I have to say that his was on a hundred, thousand, trillion in this movie.  His demeanor was even-keeled initially, with just the hint of rage lying beneath the surface.  He’s a criminal, but he’s only the getaway driver. Initially we have to wonder if this is an indication that he’s soft in some way, but those doubts are quickly put to rest as Gosling begins to stomp and thrash his way through the movie.  I thought the plot and script were interesting, though not entirely unique.  Very slick and stylized, with the violence of Tarantino minus all the dialogue. If you don’t mind letting your movies simmer a while before they come to a fantastic boil – this is one to see.