I’m not going to lie: When I sat down to stream “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” on Disney Plus, it was largely out of a desire to hate-watch the new holiday original.
I have nothing against the Jonas Brothers — "Waffle House" is a certified banger, and "Sucker" is a fantastic pop anthem — but I made a rash judgment that the bros' new festive flick would be worthy of lampooning. Oh, how wrong I was. Some 80 minutes later, I had a great big goofy grin on my face. “A Very Jonas Christmas” might not reinvent the holiday movie formula, but it’s a charming and shockingly self-aware watch.
Having now sampled a selection box of holiday movie offerings on rival streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video, I’m here to declare the JoBros at the top of Santa’s nice list. The musical siblings' grand return to the House of Mouse is definitely my top pick for the one Christmas movie you need to watch with your loved ones this holiday season.
What is ‘A Very Jonas Christmas Movie’ about?
Starring the eponymous siblings as themselves, “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” sees Nick, Kevin and Joe in a “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”-style odyssey to get home for the holidays.
After playing a sold-out show in winter-swept London, the Jonas Brothers are set to return to the U.S. to be reunited with their loved ones. However, off-stage cracks are starting to form in their brotherly bond. And when a mysterious stranger puts a curse on them that won’t lift until they rediscover their camaraderie, everything starts to go wrong.
From exploding private jets to trains going to the wrong destination, and even a hungry pack of snow wolves, if the Jonas Brothers are going to make it back to New York City in time for Christmas, they’re going to need to come together and restore their brotherhood.
‘A Very Jonas Christmas Movie’ is a must-watch this holiday season
The biggest strength of this Disney Plus movie is right there in the title. The Jonas Brothers have natural chemistry as real-life siblings and bandmates for almost two decades, and it certainly shows on screen. They bounce off of each other with ease, and there’s some great banter between the boys that genuinely had me chuckling. Kevin, revealing that he writes to prison inmates because “a fan is a fan,” had me in stitches.
Best of all, it’s clear that the Jonas Brothers don’t take themselves too seriously. There are numerous self-aware jabs at their public personas and the band's history. The adventure also plays on the fact that the trio has been famous their entire lives. Without a small army of publicists and managers sorting every step of their journey home, they have to adjust to the “real world” pretty quickly, leading to plenty of pleasant comedy.
Hilarity does certainly ensue. A scene set in beautiful Amsterdam, where Nick runs into a fictional Broadway rival, Ethan (Andrew Barth Feldman), and the two compete to out-sing each other, performing a rendition of a tune from their failed “Home Alone: The Musical,” is wonderfully silly. Kevin and Joe's reactions in the background only add to the comedy.
Ultimately, this is still a Disney-produced Christmas movie, so the narrative beats are familiar, and the shoehorned-in love interest for Joe (played by Chloe Bennet) seems included out of obligation rather than storytelling inspiration. “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” also features seven new tunes by the brothers. None of them leave a significant impression or have made it into my holiday playlist, but they function well within the movie.
It all culminates in a gooey ending that you can see coming a mile off, but does anybody really want their expectations subverted in a Christmas movie? I found “A Very Jonas Christmas” movie particularly wholesome. The quest to get home is a fun narrative framework, the overall message of making time for family is valuable, and the Jonas Brothers aren’t afraid to gently poke fun at themselves, which I certainly didn’t expect.
Clearly, I’m not the only person impressed with “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie.” Over on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a mighty impressive 92% score.
That’s higher than any of Netflix’s new seasonal offerings like “A Merry Little Ex-Mas” (50%), “My Secret Santa” (73%) and “Jingle Bell Heist” (75%). And it’s leaps above Prime Video’s “Oh. What. Fun,” which has managed miserable scores: 36% from critics, and 25% from viewers.
If you’re looking to put together a festive-themed movie marathon over the holidays, I implore you to put “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” at the top of your list. You don’t even need to be a fan of the band’s music to appreciate this delightful Disney Plus original.
Watch "A Very Jonas Christmas Movie" on Disney Plus now
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