Disney/Buena Vista | 2009 | 155 mins. | Not Rated
Stars like the Jonas brothers can make a girl feel old. I’ve seen them here and there; sitting in the audience at this year’s Grammys, on various celebrity gossip sites, and I even saw them perform on Live with Regis and Kelly a couple of years ago. I did see their movie last year. However, I couldn’t tell you which one is which, and I had to look it up to be sure their names were indeed Kevin, Joe and Nick. Of course, the brother’s core audience consists of tween girls, and since I left that demographic behind some twenty years ago, I guess I should feel that bad. Needless to say, when I Heart Jonas arrived at my door, I had no idea what to expect.
I Heart Jonas features seven episodes culled from their popular Disney channel series. The three brothers star as themselves, and older watchers might compare their goofy antics, fourth-wall breaking non-sequitirs, and sight gags to The Monkees. Before I get any angry emails, I am just comparing the style of the show to The Monkees, not The Jonas Brothers as a band. I am aware that the Jonas’ write their own songs, while The Monkees did not, and were initially cobbled together for the sole purpose of filming a television series.
While none of the Jonas brothers will likely win any awards for their work here, I was surprised at how enjoyable the show turned out to be. Set in an over-the-top version of its young stars’ lives, these TV Jonas’ are normal teens who attend a private high school, as well as famous rockers who tour, get interviewed by major magazines, and even meet all sorts of famous folk, including the Queen. Kevin plays the buffoon, Nick the voice of reason, and Joe the lovesick frontman. All of the episodes in I Heart Jonas deal with Joe’s relationship to the band’s stylist/best friend Stella (Chelsea Staub). Their mutual, unspoken crush isn’t exactly a will-they-won’t-they of Moonlighting proportions. Instead it’s written for the tween audience its targeting—there are plenty of sweet and wacky moments to keep the fans guessing. Also guaranteed to keep fans excited are the musical numbers, which include songs like “Love Sick,” “Why,” and “Give Love a Try.”
Here are the seven episodes on the set:
1.) Fashion Victim: A jealous Joe sabotages Stella’s date with his rival, the captain of the football team,Van Dyke (Chuck Hittinger), so she enlists his brothers to help pull a prank that will teach him a lesson…in front of the Queen of England.
2.) Love Sick: Eager to prove that he and Stella are just good friends, Joe breaks several non-dates with her. When he realizes how much he’s hurt her, he agrees to go to the big basketball game with her, even though he’s sick and the boys are scheduled to go on a live TV show the next morning.
3.) Three Musketeers: Kevin convinces his brothers to audition for the school play. They get the leads, but Joe gets cold feet and quits, so Van Dyke steps in to fill his place. Joe immediately regrets his decision when Stella is cast in the role of romantic lead.
4.) Karaoke Surprise: In order to celebrate their 15th “Friendaversary” with Stella, Joe enlists the aid of super-fan Macy to throw a party for her. However, with the two sneaking around and spending so much time together, Stella thinks they are dating.
5.) Frantic Romantic: Joe is shocked to find himself romantically linked to an up-and-coming actress in the tabloids. When it turns out she planned the whole thing to help her career, the brothers have to come up with a creative way to get rid of her.
6.) Forgetting Stella’s Birthday: The brothers are so busy preparing for an interview with a famous music critic that they forget Stella’s birthday and have to come up with a plan to make it up to her.
7.) Double Date: After Van Dyke invites Stella to a new restaurant, El Meat Joe becomes insanely jealous, and decides to crash their date.
Presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, this is pretty typical of what you would expect from a Disney Channel presentation; lots and lots of bright colors. With just a small amount of grain, this is a fairly decent presentation for a standard DVD.
Fans will appreciate the Dolby Digital 5.1 when the guys engage in some singing.
This disc has one extra, “You’ve Just Been JoBro’d!,” in which the brothers pull a prank on American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and a set of three Jonas Brothers magnets.
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