A Very Jonas Christmas Movie: 'Three Exhausted Dads in their Thirties'
Image Credit: Musicharts via Wikimedia
This week, Nick, Joe, and Kevin returned to our screens in their first Disney original movie since 2010. As one of those lucky kids who had Sky TV (checking my privilege, Sunak!) I was pretty much raised by Disney Channel: I got my sarcasm from Selena Gomez, my sass from Miley Cyrus, and my awkward knees from Demi Lovato (iykyk). So, naturally, I was pretty excited when I found out everyone’s favourite Disney teen heartthrobs were making their triumphant return to the small screen, albeit not in the Camp Rock reunion I’d been hoping for. But did these self-proclaimed ‘three exhausted dads in their thirties’ deliver the nostalgia I was looking for?
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is certainly no Casablanca… but it never claims to be, so if you’re a film snob looking for the next Academy Award-winner, it’s best to avoid this one. Nevertheless, if it’s a cozy, predictable, Hallmark-esque comfort film, with a star-studded cast of A-list cameos (including Will Ferrell, KJ Apa, Randall Park, and Laverne Cox) you’re after, stay tuned.
The film follows a typical festive plot (think Planes, Trains and Automobiles) - the boys have to race back home in time for Christmas with their families (Priyanka Chopra, Danielle Jonas, the JoBros’ five daughters, and the elusive Frankie Jonas all feature as themselves). Caught up in various transport-related disasters, the mood is kept light and cheerful by the band’s frequent musical outbreaks into crooning ballads and catchy pop-rock anthems.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie has its witty moments - the three brothers are equipped with ironic, self-effacing jokes about themselves, and even delineate their archetypal ‘characters’: Nick is the ‘uptight, responsible one’, Joe the ‘relatable tramp’, and Kevin the ‘world’s most unlikely rockstar’. They certainly don’t take themselves too seriously, and want their fans to know they’re in on the jokes, but the film gets a little tense when Joe and his fictional love interest (played by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’s Chloe Bennet) start tiptoeing around the elephant in the room: his recent (and somewhat messy) divorce from actor and co-parent, Sophie Turner. Whilst never explicitly mentioned, Joe’s status as divorced dad feels pretty prevalent to the semi-autobiographical plot, as he’s portrayed as a messy party boy who breaks hearts along the way - perhaps treading a little too close to home?
Jesse Tyler Ferguson plays a classic ‘Santa in disguise’ character, who curses the boys into having to spend more time together, and rekindle their brotherly love. A far cry from Modern Family’s uptight lawyer Mitchell, Ferguson wins us over with his operatic improvisations, chaotic interventions, and eccentric characterisation. He’s not your typical Santa, sporting a red leather jacket, and a much shorter beard, but, bizarrely, it works!
Despite the overall goofiness and predictability of the film, the JoBros are talented musicians and actors, and it’s safe to say their on-screen charisma hasn’t faded with their youth. Giving themselves permission to be a little raunchier than their Promise Ring days, Nick, Joe, and Kevin want us to know that they’ve grown up with us, but they’re still the singing, dancing, cringey-cool brothers we know and love. Amidst our currently chaotic and turbulent times, it’s a cozy ‘guilty pleasure’ film that will leave you smiling optimistically, and maybe even looking forward to Christmas - and the Jonas Brothers’ next album!