Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience

As was the case with its predecessor, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience has clearly been designed to appeal almost exclusively to fans of the eponymous siblings – as the film boasts a preaching-to-the-converted vibe that effectively holds newcomers at arm’s length throughout. As expected, Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience primarily documents Joe, Nick, and Kevin’s summer tour of 2008 and features performances of such radio-friendly ditties as “Burnin’ Up,” “BB Good,” and “Hold On” – with the trio effectively offering up an innocuous mix of bubblegum pop and power ballads (although, ironically enough, Taylor Swift’s performance of “Should’ve Said No” ranks as the movie’s most stirring musical interlude). The film also contains a behind-the-scenes peek into the Jonas’ offstage antics, as director Bruce Hendricks follows the siblings through their encounters with fans and their ongoing efforts at promoting their latest release – yet the proliferation of staged sequences (eg the boys’ run-in with a star-struck waitress [actually an actress]) effectively drains the majority of such moments of their entertainment value (ie if they’re not real, what’s the point?) It subsequently goes without saying that only the segment detailing the intense fanaticism of the band’s die-hard followers manages to make any kind of an impact, with the remainder of the movie generally as slick and prefabricated as the band itself (ie there’s not even a hint of spontaneity to be found anywhere within the proceedings). All in all, Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience comes off as a relatively painless endeavor that will undoubtedly thrill and delight the siblings’ many devotees (while leaving neophytes wondering just what all the fuss is about).

** out of ****