A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)

I feel like I have to start this review by saying I don't know anything about the Jonas Brothers, and I don't think I could name a single one of their songs. I'm not stating that up front to be negative or confrontational: I just don't want anyone thinking that my recommendation for this is in any way connected to me being a fan or something - I'm not. It's just... this is a good movie.

I didn't expect that. Hell, I didn't expect it to be good or for it to be a real movie. And yet it's both: a musical comedy that emphasizes the comedy, to the point it borders on parody but stops just short of crossing over the line into farce. It walks right up to that line, though, allowing the title characters to play comically exaggerated versions of themselves who are the butt of the movie's jokes but avoid faltering into unlikability. In that respect, the movie's a choreographed balancing act that could have - and by rights probably should have - gone horribly wrong. Instead, it maintains its humor, goodwill, and levity while still delivering a solid little story. Nothing deep or profound, but cute and endearing, in keeping with the holidays.

Presumably director Jessica Yu and cowriters Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger are being offered buckets of money to work on high-profile projects as I type this. This is one of those movies that likely got greenlit by executives expecting a disposable holiday special, only to wind up with a sleeper hit. They should probably have given this a theatrical run, honestly. This is the kind of movie that will surprise critics, garner buzz, and build interest - seems like they could have gotten a better return in theaters than on Disney+.

So, if that's all you need to hear, this is all you should read, at least until after checking out the movie. This is an unexpectedly good comedy well worth your time, and - as incredible as this next part may sound - it's better seen knowing as little as possible.

Okay, that bit above about knowing "as little as possible" doesn't really apply to the plot, which is a fairly straightforward and predictable story about the brothers reconciling their differences and renewing their commitment to each other as brothers while trying to make it home from a European tour in time to celebrate Christmas with their individual families (who naturally wind up celebrating together at the end). The synopsis of this is more or less what you'd expect; the details, however, are where this gets fun.

Well, one of the reasons it's fun. Throw in Yu's command of tone, notably solid comedic performances from the three pop stars (all of whom clearly understand what the movie's doing and are on board), and some well-cast supporting roles and impressive cameos, kicking off in the opening seconds of the movie with....

Last chance to heed that spoiler warning....

Will Ferrell, who gets a minute or two of screentime with his family. He's here both as an extended joke - he's presented as the band's biggest fan - and to set the tone of the piece. I'd argue placing him upfront was risky, as it sets a high expectation for the movie to live up to. The risk pays off, though, signaling what kind of movie we're about to see and ultimately delivering on that promise.

We then quickly introduce the brothers (or more accurately the fictionalized versions I'm assuming are based on the personas they've developed over the years). This version of Nick, Kevin, and Joe are comically simplistic, flawed people, but - as I said before - not unlikeable. This is a difficult tightrope act to manage: falter one way, and the movie comes off self-indulgent, the other and you're got something meanspirited and repulsive. This pulls it off by leaning into the conceit that the Jonas Brothers, by virtue of becoming stars as children, never completely grew up but at the same time are conscious of this weakness.

They also all have individual flaws, goals, and arcs, none of which are particularly innovative (though that's kind of the point). Nick wants his brothers to stop taking him for granted, but he's too controlling. Joe wants to be taken seriously as an adult but struggles with insecurity. Kevin wants to be taken more seriously as a singer, but he's not assertive enough. All three of the brothers' flaws are exacerbated by the others' criticism, creating a sort of feedback loop trapping them in adolescent behavior.

When Nick and Kevin decide to stay in following their last concert before Christmas, Joe - the only one of the three not married - goes out alone. He meets an aging man played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson dressed in a red coat, who... okay, look, the movie just outright has him accidentally mention he's Santa Claus then cover for the slip. They're not being coy here: they know this isn't the first movie you've ever seen. Anyway, Joe mentions how depressed he is that the brothers are drifting apart, so Santa uses his Christmas magic...

...To blow up the plane they're supposed to board. No one in it at the time, but wisps of holiday magic just reduce it to smoldering debris. The contrast is wonderful.

This sets up a series of misadventures the brothers contend with as they try to make their way home while Santa's magic sabotages them again and again. The threat of not celebrating with their wives and kids drives them forward, but the story focuses on their relationships with each other. None of it's supposed to be emotionally moving, but it's all cleverly structured. More importantly, it serves as a foundation for some wonderful comedic payoffs, which are really what makes this worth seeing.

Each of the characters gets moments and a subplot, the most impactful of which is a romance between Joe and a childhood crush played by Chloe Bennet, who arguably appears in enough of this to qualify as the movie's fourth lead. The movie also features memorable minor roles played by Billie Lourd and Randall Park, among others. And of course there are numerous musical numbers, which are both woven into the narrative and (excluding a song at the very end) consistently funny. This is a comedy musical that understands the genres both independently and together - no one's phoning anything in, and they're not just singing hits to placate fans.

Because their issues are bound together, the brothers can only overcome them and grow as people by confronting their shortcomings and insecurities openly and together. This breaks Santa's magical curse and allows them to make it home, bring their families together, and help Joe express his feelings. 

I'm not sure what else to say about this. The movie uses Christmas in fairly conventional ways, but it does so mainly as a joke. That said, from a structural standpoint its use of the holidays as a symbol of annual renewal and resolution is well-integrated. The movie is well-put-together and extremely funny.

Yeah, I'm shocked, too. This isn't the kind of thing I expected to be writing about a Disney+ movie about aging pop stars, but this was really well done. I had a lot of fun with it and absolutely recommend it to fans of comedy, particularly those of the 90s and 00s, such as Will Ferrell movies and the various shorts from Lonely Island.

My guess is fans of the Jonas Brothers will like this, too.