Cinema News: Get holly and jolly with the Jonas Brothers

November 14, 2025 | View in browser

Three men in winter wear stand on a deserted road covered in snow

By Yvonne Villarreal, Robert Lloyd and Tracy Brown

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who is never fully mentally prepared for the chaos of limited-edition holiday cup season.

Does Bearista cup mean anything to you? The viral vessel a certain coffee retailer unleashes each year may help some people get into the spirit (or a brawl, depending on the supply), but everyone knows nothing rings in the season like the continuous loop of festive music and the volley of holiday movies that require a spreadsheet. This year, the Jonas Brothers are delivering a mix of the latter two with "A Very Jonas Christmas Movie," their holiday music movie now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. The trio stopped by Guest Spot to talk about their contribution to the winter wonderland industrial complex.

Also in this week's Screen Gab, our recommendations include the return of rapper-actor Vince Staples' mind-bending semi-autobiographical Netflix comedy series set in his hometown of Long Beach, Calif., and a zom-com to rom-com movie marathon assembled by one of our writers to ring in her birthday — a celebration, though, is not required if you want to join in the fun.

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

"The Vince Staples Show" (Netflix)

This great, strange series, happily back for six episodes, has the surrealist spirit of Luis Buñuel's work filtered through a distinctly Black and millennial lens. This season, there's a through line to the surrealism, involving a family road trip to a funeral for Vince's uncle, whose details favor O.J. Simpson, but who's called James Brown. (The great Vanessa Bell Calloway is back as his mother.) There's an inherited haunted house, a white Bronco and a social club, the Black Icon Guild, where the white staff addresses Staples as "king" and "excellence," but won't let him leave. The show feels both tightly controlled and open to interpretation; it goes wherever it goes with confidence. "Things are going to change for you now [that you you're on TV]," says the ghost of Uncle James. "The world will love you, but eventually hate you." That would be the world's mistake. — Robert Lloyd

Zom-com to rom-com marathon: "Queen of the Dead" (PVOD); "Hedda" (Prime Video); "The Wedding Banquet" (Paramount +)

It's my birthday week, and the stormy weather hitting L.A. means I will do anything to avoid having to brave the roads, so I am sharing the lineup of my planned movie marathon. First up will be the queer zombie horror comedy "Queens of the Dead" because every celebration should include a drag show. Directed by Tina Romero, whose father, George A. Romero, was a horror pioneer, the zippy zom-com sees a ragtag group of queer performers and clubgoers trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. It's packed with camp, heart and features Katy O'Brian with a crossbow, so there's something for everyone. Next up is "Hedda," Nia DaCosta's modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic play that takes place over the course of a decadent house party. Starring Tessa Thompson as the discontented newlywed Hedda Tesman (née Gabler), DaCosta's update incorporates race and sexuality into its gendered interrogation of power. It would not be my birthday without a little bit of (fictional) tortured lesbian drama. Rounding out the marathon is "The Wedding Banquet," Andrew Ahn's endearing reimagining of Ang Lee's 1993 rom-com because I'm a sucker for happy endings. Family — both chosen and of origin — is at the heart of this marriage farce that involves two queer couples navigating a web of lies, secrets and their commitment to commitment on the way to their happily ever afters. — Tracy Brown

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching

Even without the government shutdown sparking nationwide disruptions to flights, holiday travelers are familiar with bracing for delays, cancellations, long wait times or whatever unexpected hurdle arises in the rush to make it home. The Jonas Brothers are no exception. In "A Very Jonas Christmas Movie," a holiday comedy in which Kevin, Nick and Joe play heightened versions of themselves, the musical trio are closing out their tour in London and all have families they're desperate to get home to before Christmas. But when some sibling strife surfaces, Santa (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) blows up their plane and traps them under a spell until the brothers can find their way back to peace together. Now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, the film brings the Jonas Brothers back into the Disney fold — they gained popularity with 2008's Disney Channel original movie "Camp Rock" and starred in their own series for the network. Over email, the brothers shared what it was like making a holiday movie with their respective families, Ferguson's Santa vibe and the holiday movies that are on Nick's "good" list. — Yvonne Villarreal

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The film is a fictionalized version of your real busy lives and the stress of trying to get home for the holidays. What do you remember about the first time you experienced that kind of race against the clock? And how has your perspective on the importance of being home shifted as you've started your own families?

KJ: We've definitely lived that "race against the clock" feeling more than once in real life. Doing what we do, you're constantly on the move and there have been plenty of times we've wrapped a concert and hopped right on a flight, just hoping to make it home. I think that's one of the reasons this movie felt so real to us. Now that we all have our own families, that urgency to get home means even more. You start realizing it's about the smaller moments and being around the people who matter most. That's the heart of the film too: No matter what chaos happens along the way, you always want to find your way back home.

The film is largely a family affair, which is not unusual. But how was it to have this very polished family home video? What's a memory that stands out in creating memories on a set together?

KJ: Working with my family and Danielle and our girls was the greatest thing ever. It didn't even feel like work, it just felt like us playing pretend for the day. Seeing them on set, sitting in their own chairs with their names on them was just such a proud dad moment for me. It's those little things that make you stop and think, "Wow, this is really special." Anytime they're able to join me at work is the best. It really made this whole experience feel like the ultimate home movie, just with a little more Christmas magic.

There are several new tracks featured in the film. Which was your favorite to shoot for the film?

JJ: My favorite song to shoot was probably "Best Night." The whole concept is that my character is trying to convince my brothers that we should go out, and we end up in this wild fantasy world together that I drag them along into. It was hilarious and so over-the-top with I think seven outfit changes … definitely one of our busier shoot days.

There's a nice helping of guest stars — Will Ferrell, Randall Park, Billie Lourd, Laverne Cox, to name a few. But please share your thoughts on Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Santa. And how much say did you have in what his take on Santa would be?

NJ: Jesse Tyler Ferguson was such a fun surprise. He brought a totally unique and unexpected energy to the role … funny, warm and a little mysterious, which was exactly what we wanted. From the jump, we knew we didn't want a traditional Santa but wanted someone who could bring a fresh take and their own personality to it, and Jesse definitely did that.

What's your go-to "comfort watch" Christmas movie — the one you go back to again and again?

NJ: "Home Alone" [Disney+] — 1 and 2 — were big ones in our household growing up. "Elf" [HBO Max] too. They're just such iconic Christmas movies. Funnily enough, in the movie, we call back to some of these classics, obviously with Will Ferrell making a cameo, but also with Andrew Barth Feldman — we basically play frenemies/former co-stars from the "Home Alone" musical. It was just fun to be able to find little ways to incorporate some of the classics into our own Christmas movie.