Jem and the Holograms (2015)

As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden.

Director:

Jon M. Chu

Writers:

Ryan Landels (screenplay by), Christy Marx (animated series)

Stars:

Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aubrey Peeples	...	Jerrica / Jem
Stefanie Scott	...	Kimber
Aurora Perrineau	...	Shana
Hayley Kiyoko	...	Aja
Molly Ringwald	...	Aunt Bailey
Isabella Kai	...	Young Jerrica (as Isabella Rice)
Barnaby Carpenter	...	Emmett Benton
Jason Kennedy	...	Jason Kennedy
Nathan Moore	...	Zipper
Juliette Lewis	...	Erica Raymond
Ryan Guzman	...	Rio
Justin Alastair	...	Esteban
Mischke Butler	...	Vocal Coach
Samantha Newark	...	Hair Stylist
Christopher Scott	...	Choreographer

Storyline

As a small-town girl Jerrica lives an unexceptional life until she takes on a secret identity inspired by her music. She becomes Jem: the bold, stunning and absolutely fearless singer that catapults from an underground video sensation to global superstar overnight. But when it seems that she may lose touch with the things that really matter the most, Jerrica and her band of three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey, discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden.

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Plot Keywords:

sister sister relationship | record company | band | based on toy | based on cartoon | 

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Taglines:

Every Generation Needs a Voice

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Music | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material including reckless behavior, brief suggestive content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jem

Filming Locations:

Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,375,320, 25 October 2015, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$2,184,640, 5 November 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allspark Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Chu Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Aubrey Peeples did her own singing in the film.

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Goofs

Erica contradicts herself pretty badly in the poolside conversation with Jerrica when she is trying to get her to sign the solo contract. She says she owns the name "Jem" and all rights, which means that Jerrica and the other three girls would've had to have signed a group contract at some point. But then she tries to get Jerrica to sign a solo contract. This would be in breach of the previous contract they signed. There is no way they can be performing under this record label without a deal of some kind in place. And even if no group contract has been signed previously, then that means Erica cannot own the rights to the "Jem" name.

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Quotes

Jem: Please let me explain what's been going on.
Shana: Explain what? That you want to go solo?
Aja: You don't want us around anymore? That's not how a family is supposed to act.

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Crazy Credits

Part of the closing credits appear in the form of stickers seen on musical equipment.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Rock the Kasbah/Jem and the Holograms (2015)

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Soundtracks

I'm Still Here
Written by Michael McNamara, Jordan Baum, Travis Margis and Paris Jones
Performed by Aubrey Peeples, Aurora Perrineau, Stefanie Scott
Courtesy of School Boy Records and Republic Records

User Reviews

It's what you are probably expecting

Yeah, yeah... I know that this kind of movie is not my usual cup of tea. In fact, several months ago I caught a couple of episodes of the 1980s animated TV show that this movie was based on, and I thought they were silly crud. The only reason why I decided to watch this movie was that I was curious to see how they would make a "Jem" movie on a budget of just $5 million. I will give the filmmakers this: The movie does look a lot more expensive than it actually is. And I thought that the acting wasn't all that bad. But the movie ultimately fails because of its script. The story is padded out to an excessive level, lasting almost two hours in length; it shouldn't have had to be that long. Well, it could have worked at two hours in length, but as it is, the story is alternately boring and extremely predictable. If you have seen ANY movie before about young people becoming famous, you'll always be one step ahead of this telling. Even if you were a fan of the "Jem" television show, it's unlikely you'll find this live action version endearing.