Film
Jem and the Holograms
- Musical
- Light-hearted
A live-action reimagining of the 1980s cartoon, following a girl who becomes a pop star through an AI hologram. It's a music-driven coming-of-age film about sisterhood and finding your voice. Colorful, sincere, aimed at younger audiences and nostalgic adults, though it bears only the faintest resemblance to its source material.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you miss the glossy, big-hearted pop-musical era of hologram-lit stages and sisterly loyalty, and you don't mind a story that wears its heart on its sleeve.
Skip it if you find musical numbers and earnest messages about finding your voice tiresome, since the film leans hard into both and rarely pauses to be sly about it.
What it asks of you: Settle in for nearly two hours of sincere, colorful storytelling where the music carries most of the emotion and the pace stays steady rather than rushed.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Pitch Perfect2012
A group of misfits bond through music and competition in a high-energy ensemble comedy. Sharp, funny, and genuinely warm about female friendship and finding where you belong.
But The humor is relentlessly chipper and the plot is formulaic. Some find the constant music montages exhausting.

Aquamarine2006
Two best friends navigate friendship, growing up, and magical weirdness with genuine heart. It's bright, earnest, and unapologetic about loving girly things without irony.
But The CGI is dated and the story is thin. It's very much a product of mid-2000s teen cinema.

Hairspray2007
A joyful musical about a girl breaking barriers through talent and kindness. Colorful, energetic, and made with real affection for its characters and message.
But It's aggressively wholesome and the dancing-in-the-streets energy might feel saccharine. Heavy on sentiment, light on conflict.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Jem and the Holograms
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish2020
Both explore how music and passion can liberate you from who you thought you had to be, but this one asks what happens when you choose authenticity over ambition.
A Japanese anime film about two young people discovering each other despite isolation and limitation. Visually stunning, emotionally mature, and about finding your own music rather than performing someone else's. The animation is breathtaking.
But It's a subtitled anime, which will limit your audience. The tone is melancholic and introspective in ways that contrast sharply with Jem's bright surface.

More like this (8)
A Cinderella Story2004
A modern teen Cinderella with a great cast, genuine humor, and a protagonist who's smart and kind without being boring. Surprisingly charming and fast-paced.
But It's fluff, and it knows it. The plot is predictable from frame one and there's nothing here that lingers.

Bring It On2000
A sports movie that's actually funny, with real chemistry between leads and a refreshing approach to competition and female rivalry. Quotable and genuinely entertaining.
But The dancing is the whole point; if cheerleading doesn't interest you, the film has little else to offer.

10 Things I Hate About You1999
Snappy writing, strong performances, and characters who feel like real people navigating real feelings. It's funny without being mean and sincere without being maudlin.
But The 90s teen movie formula is very much on display. Some jokes have aged poorly and the romantic resolution feels inevitable.

High School Musical2006
Disney's teen musical that somehow works despite every odds. Infectious energy, likeable cast, and songs that are embarrassingly easy to remember.
But It's saccharine to the point of parody. The plot is thin and the romance is built on nothing but chemistry and montage.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005
Four friends, four stories, one magical pair of jeans. It's earnest about female friendship and gives each girl real emotional depth and agency in her own story.
But The magical realism element is never explained and feels contrived. Some of the drama feels melodramatic for a teen film.

Mamma Mia!2008
A jukebox musical that doesn't pretend to be anything but pure joy. The cast is having so much fun that it's infectious, and the Greek island setting is gorgeous.
But The plot is tissue-thin and exists only to hang ABBA songs on. The acting is often cartoonish and the whole thing is unabashedly silly.

Dreamgirls2006
Both films follow girl groups rising to fame, but Dreamgirls is the sobering version—what happens when the music industry isn't kind to the artists inside it.
A sweeping musical drama about three women in a girl group navigating fame, talent, and sisterhood. Powerhouse performances, killer songs, and a willingness to show the dark side of stardom without losing the glamour.
But It's a three-hour commitment and the second half is darker and slower than the first. Some find the 1980s production values overwrought.

Daria1997
Where Jem asks 'what if you could be a superstar?', Daria asks 'what if you didn't want to be?' It's the anti-Jem, and that contrast makes both more interesting.
A cartoon series about teenage girls being smart, funny, and uninterested in performing for anyone. Witty, character-driven, and genuinely subversive in how it questions what girls are supposed to want.
But The animation is deliberately flat and the humor is cerebral. If you want spectacle and emotion, you'll be disappointed.

People
Cast
Aubrey SheaJerrica Benton / Jem
Stefanie ScottKimber Benton
Aurora PerrineauShana
Ryan GuzmanRio Raymond
Molly RingwaldAunt Bailey
Juliette LewisErica Raymond
Isabella KaiYoung Jerrica- Barnaby CarpenterEmmett Benton
Jason KennedyJason Kennedy
Nathan MooreZipper- Justin AlastairEsteban
Directing
- Jon M. ChuDirector
- Jeremy PhoenixFirst Assistant Director
- Julie PitkanenScript Supervisor
- Daniel Hamilton-LoweSecond Assistant Director
- Kendall L. NicholsSecond Assistant Director
Writing
- Christy MarxCharacters
- Ryan LandelsScreenplay
Production
- Terri DouglasADR Voice Casting
- Allison KayeAssociate Producer
- Ashlee HansenAssociate Producer
- Heather McKayAssociate Producer
- Olivia ZaroAssociate Producer
- Terri TaylorCasting
- Ally ConoverCasting Assistant
- Sarah Domeier LindoCasting Associate
- Marcei A. Brubaker BrownCo-Producer
- Phillip DaweCo-Producer
- Couper SamuelsonExecutive Producer
- Jeanette VolturnoExecutive Producer
- Dixie Webster-DavisExtras Casting
- Miles J. HenleyLocation Manager
- Bennett SchneirProducer
- Brian GoldnerProducer
- Jason BlumProducer
- Jon M. ChuProducer
- Scooter BraunProducer
- Stephen DavisProducer
- Michael CollinsProduction Accountant
- Erin VitaliProduction Coordinator
- Chris BryantProduction Secretary
- Sam PattonProduction Secretary
- Marcei A. Brubaker BrownUnit Production Manager
Recommended by
The Hills, It's a Boy Girl Thing, Jem, Betty Boop, Lemonade Mouth, How to Rock