The Jonas Brothers. When I think of the boys, I think of my couch that was big enough to hide my child-self, feet moving to the rhythm of Jonas Brother’s Year 3000. A whole lifestyle. The fandom was crazy. In a country like Saudi, we were still printing out photographs of our favorite brothers and pasting them in our notebooks. To deny how big they were would be stupid. Needless to say, when the boys fell from their peak, an emptiness took over the hearts of millions of girls like me.
The never-before-seen Amazon Prime documentary Chasing Happiness dives into the personal lives of the brothers like never before. The documentary starts off mapping out how the Jonas Brothers, three young boys from a humble family, started off their little band. The production of the documentary is top-notch. The story maps out with the past and the present merging into one.
A brilliant connection of home-videos, as a fan, it makes you feel lucky that someone at so many years ago decided to film these moments with these little boys. One day, you’d watch it all in this brilliant documentary film.
The documentary then moves on to the boys becoming the family’s way to survive, till they finally get signed by Disney - and become the Jonas Brothers. Everybody remembers when they landed on the Hannah Montana show, right? They map out all of those big moments and more - and instant flashback into life when all of these things mattered most. We are then swiftly transported to the time things fell apart.
The documentary is the story of the Jonas Brothers’ rise - fall - and their final reunion. You see the boys discuss their honest feelings about being let down by their church because they sing about “girls”, how they were bullied and mocked for wearing purity rings, how they dealt with things with Nick was diagnosed with diabetes as a young boy. They break down over visiting their old family home where they first made their songs, a place they had to leave.
Their heart-breaking yet honest story tugs at your heart. As a fan, it is almost a shocker. You ask yourselves - our boys went through all of that and we didn’t even know?
Finally, the documentary answers your big question. Why did the Jonas Brothers break up? It follows Nick’s big decision. The intense moment follows Nick’s final moments of coming to the breaking point, sitting his brothers down and laying it bare for them. It follows Joe, the brother it hurt the most. Rest assured, as Jonas fan, they answer all your questions, and beautifully so.
And finally, they find their way back to each other. The documentary feels like you’re part of their circle. Suddenly, they’re not just a boy-band. They’re not just a bunch pf pretty boys who sang Lovebug. They’re people who fought their own wars, worked hard and are struggling to stay afloat in their own way. Just like Joe says:
“It’s been a long road. We’ve been through so much.”Joe Jonas
The well-made documentary beautifully ends with the boys sharing happy moments with their partners, the final home in their chase for happiness. Some moments matter more than others, some things are worth sticking around for, and Chasing Happiness is a beautiful reminder of that. It isn’t just a story for Jonas fan-girls, this one inspires you. Though you might think a lot of their songs don’t make sense, this documentary, deserves your time.
Chasing Happiness premiers on Amazon Prime Video on 4 June .
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