by Tori Newby and Emily Siansky ’22

The Jonas Brothers, the shaggy-haired boy band from the 2000s, surprised their fans last year with the release of their first album since their breakup in 2013. That album, titled “Happiness Begins,” allowed the brothers to reconnect with each other and with their fans, after many years of solo careers and time spent apart. In June 2019, the band released “Chasing Happiness,” a documentary following their initial path to success in the early 2000s, their breakup, and the long-awaited reunion. The Jonas Brothers dropped another documentary on April 24 following their 2019 national tour of Happiness Begins: “Happiness Continues: A Jonas Brothers Concert Film.” 

The new documentary was marketed on Amazon Prime Video as an “exclusive look into life on the road with the Jonas Brothers during their Happiness Begins concert tour.” “Happiness Continues” takes the viewers through a concert experience, sprinkled with interviews of the band and their fans, as well as candid moments during the tour. 

The documentary was enjoyable to watch as it allowed us to reminisce some of our favorite moments from the concerts we attended. The live performances spotlighted the most popular songs and fan favorites from the tour. In one concert clip, the Jonas Brothers asked the audience what songs they’d like to hear, and Joe Jonas gave the microphone to an excited fan in the front row to sing a song from their Disney Channel Original Movie “Camp Rock.” The Jonas Brothers also gave their audience the inside scoop behind some of their lyrics and inspirations for some of their songs, including Hesitate, Joe Jonas’ ballad to his wife Sophie Turner. 

Although “Happiness Continues” was fun to watch, it didn’t quite live up to the band’s previous documentary, “Chasing Happiness.” The Jonas Brothers’ first documentary in 2019 dove deep into the emotional side of their reunion, which had not yet been publicized, but “Happiness Continues” revisits that major event in their career. “Chasing Happiness” introduced the fans to the band’s backstory of their breaking up and getting back together, so the most recent documentary proved to be repetitive. 

The Jonas Brothers targeted “Happiness Continues” towards their biggest fans, who have likely attended concerts from their most recent and prior tours. Newer and more casual fans may not feel as connected to the Jonas Brothers’ newest film. “Happiness Continues” showed interviews and heartfelt moments from longtime fans, while those who have recently started listening to their music probably won’t be able to relate to or appreciate the documentary quite as much

Rating: B-