Chasing Happiness
Starring: Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas
Directed by: John Taylor
Hello, it’s your resident Jonas Brothers superfan I still remember when I first learned about the Jonas Brothers in 2007, sitting in my room doing homework with the TV on in the background. Suddenly, I heard an unbelievably catchy guitar hook and looked at the screen. A curly-haired teen guy was singing about a time machine. The screen flashed: “Year 3000 by The Jonas Brothers.” Who was that curly-haired dreamboat who immediately gained my attention? Who were these brothers? It was time to go to the local Walgreens, buy the latest Bop Magazine, and learn everything about this band. That began the golden years of my Jonas Brothers obsession. An obsession that I’ve since learned will never go away.
For all of my fellow Jonas fans, I’m here to bring you joyous news! The Jonas Brothers released a legit new album called Happiness Begins that signals their return from the band’s breakup. It is filled with hits that you can jam to all summer long! My personal top 5 songs are Trust, Don’t Throw it Away, Used To Be, Hesitate, and Comeback. Yet, every song is worth jamming to. Not only did they release their new album, but they also have a new documentary called Chasing Happiness that is now streaming on Amazon Prime. So get out your JB tour T-shirt and get ready to reminisce on the good times.
I’d assume anyone reading this review is somewhat familiar with the Jonas Brothers. You probably fall somewhere between “has listened to Burnin Up one time” to “used to clear all Friday night plans to watch the 5 minute ‘Living the Dream’ weekly special on Disney channel”. Those 5 minutes made the week worth it! You never knew what each episode was going to be about. Such a roller coaster of emotions. I think it’s clear what kind of fan is writing this review. Regardless of how well you know the Jonas Brothers, Chasing Happiness is an easily accessible documentary for everyone. For people unfamiliar with the band, this documentary provides a moving story of a family full of hard-working musicians trying to make it with the odds stacked against them. For Jonas fans, it provides never-before-seen footage and stories of what went on behind the scenes in the band.
The structure of the documentary works very well. It begins with interviews from the family and explains their home life in Wycoff, New Jersey, where their father was a pastor. Then starts to explore how hard they worked for their fame, including Nick and Joe’s time in musicals and Kevin’s work in commercials. This all leads to the brothers eventually writing music together. All scenes are perfectly spliced with home videos of the boys as they grow up. Chasing Happiness is directed by John Taylor, the former lead guitarist and musical director for the band. As a director, he does a great job keeping the audience engaged with the brother’s story every step of the way.
One issue I do have with this documentary is it mixes up some timelines. There is a huge montage sequence where Burnin Up plays, and photos are shown of the Jonas Brothers’ self-titled album. Now, I remember the very second that the Burnin Up video debuted to the world because it was THE SAME night that Camp Rock came out. I had a party for it, and it was one of the greatest nights of my life. All of this to say, Burnin Up was on their album A Little Bit Longer, not the self-titled Jonas Brothers! These are small details, but major Jonas fans notice!
Each interview throughout Chasing Happiness gives so much insight into who Nick, Joe, and Kevin are as people. Sure, we all thought we might have known while reading our Tiger Beat magazines and watching Disney Channel interviews, but that was just a small glimpse, and so much has changed since then. Chasing Happiness gives a sense of raw vulnerability into each brother’s life since the band breakup. These are not manufactured pop stars, but dedicated musicians with goals for themselves. As Nick, Joe, and Kevin talk about their lives, you get a real sense of who they are and what sets them apart from each other. Nick is the serious, devoted musician, Joe is the sensitive, creative frontman, and Kevin is the committed family man. The band wouldn’t work unless they did it together.
Whether you’re a fan of the Jonas Brothers or not, you’re sure to be intrigued by Chasing Happiness. You’ll step away impressed with the band’s talent and may even find yourself singing their songs. Thankfully, there’s a whole new album full of new tunes that you can check out right now!
My Rating: Defies Rating. I’ve waited for this documentary since 2007!