“Jem and the Holograms” is a movie that teens, particularly girls, will love and embrace! It features a theme of being true to who you are, and Jem must face that issue in the movie, as a shrewd and snobbish agent named Erica Raymond (Juliette Lewis) wants Jem to go solo and abandon her siblings.
Aubrey Peeples plays Jerrica, who comes up with the image of Jem and does a song for a YouTube video. She decides not to upload it, but her sister, Kimber (Stefanie Scott), thinks Jerrica’s song is terrific, so she uploads it. The next thing you know, Jem is famous and offers are pouring in.
Jerrica has been living with her Aunt Bailey (Molly Ringwald), because her father, an inventor, has passed away. Yet her father left her a device, known as Synergy, and some clues for Jerrica to help her discover who she really is. Ryan Guzman plays Rio, Erica Raymond’s son who winds up taking a liking to Jerrica, or “Jem,” and helps her out of more than one jam. The film features a couple of scenes of the girls acting dishonestly, like taking a car without permission to go look for some clues from Synergy and one girl grabbing some money from Rio’s wallet. But it also features the nice theme of being true to oneself. After Jem makes a mistake and hurts her sisters’ feelings, she finds the strength to make it right and be herself. She also learns what her dad wanted her to know about herself.
We are happy to award “Jem and the Holograms” our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages 12-plus. It features lively and energetic music and several determined girls who buck the system and win! Jem’s fans in the movie love her, and so will teens everywhere.