‘Romcon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?’ Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Romcoms (romantic comedies) have made some of us expect fluffy, perfect, dreamy dates with potential soulmates. But real life often feels more like a RomCon, where you’re left feeling cheated by the end of an awful date, robbed of your time and effort. Sometimes, though, the con is far more sinister. A “too good to be true” stranger traps innocent victims in a web of deceit, trauma, and theft.
The two-part documentary “RomCon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?” tells the story of perfect dates gone terribly wrong, exposing a romance scammer named Jason Porter. He would sweep women off their feet with constant compliments on dating apps and follow through with the charm in person. Eventually, he would begin stealing from them or living off them, maintaining relationships before the women could realize they were being scammed. With some, he went even further.
This documentary is about a villain, a con artist exploiting vulnerable women, but it is also about a hero: Toronto real estate broker Heather Rovet. Heather shares her story with candid honesty, hoping others can learn from her experience. “RomCon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?” is steered by her interview, as she recalls how she met “Jace,” one of Jason Porter’s aliases, who instantly won her over with charm, sexual appeal and dated her for three years before she discovered he was a convicted felon with a shady past. Not just that, she discovered he was dating multiple other women behind her back and stealing from her. Several other women, targeted by the same man under names like Jace or Don, also come forward with their stories in the documentary.
Since emotional abuse and romantic exploitation are not always punishable in court, Heather Rovet worked tirelessly to gather evidence and sue Jason Porter for fraud and theft. The first episode of “RomCon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?” focuses on the victims’ accounts, along with testimonies from their friends and families, all highlighting Jason’s exceedingly charming yet deceptive persona.
“I had some suspicions about him, but I couldn’t tell Heather. She was starry-eyed,” Heather’s father says in his interview. In fact, despite the devastating betrayal and manipulation Heather was subjected to, she remembers her courtship with Jace with genuine warmth and a glint in her eyes.
Since Heather was in a long-term relationship with him, she also shares numerous photos and videos of their time together. The second episode follows her pursuit of justice, collecting evidence and collaborating with other women to ensure that Jason Porter ends up behind bars. And like a lot of documentaries these days, “RomCon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?” also features some dramatic recreation of scenes with actors to lend some visual theatrics to the story.
It takes immense courage and conviction for women who’ve been conned to come forward and share their personal stories, especially when facing the shame and disbelief that often follows. Yet Heather and the other women featured in the RomCon documentary do just that. By speaking up on camera, they not only reclaim their narratives but also help warn others to watch for red flags in potential partners. One journalist interviewed in the documentary notes that in Canada alone, romance scams account for an estimated 59 million dollars in losses each year, and that’s just from reported cases. The true cost of such deception remains unknown.
This is the kind of documentary worth sharing with anyone stepping into the dating world, as a cautionary tale and a reminder to stay alert.
Watch “RomCon: Who the F**k is Jason Porter?” on Prime Video.
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