Jesse and Jonas Go West!

***Jesse and Jonas Go West!*** is a 2018 American computer-cel animated action comedy film produced by Supreme Entertainment and directed by Adrian Hancock from a screenplay written by Edgar Wright and Jared Stern. A satire on Hollywood materialism, the film is set in the late summer of 1997, and stars Logan Lerman and Josh Gad as two slackers who are sent from New York City to Los Angeles where they take part in a big-budget action flick, only to be recruited by the local police department to inspect the studio they work at for illegal activity.

The film was released in the United States on October 19, 2018 by Paramount Pictures, and grossed $131 million worldwide on its $81 million budget. Although controversial for its fictionalized retelling of Hollywood's dark blockbuster age, the film received positive reviews for Lerman and Gad's lead performances, the stylized execution of the film's animation and story, and its humor.

## Plot

In 1997, Jesse Herriman and Jonas Presley are 24-year old best friends living together in New York City. One day, they discover that the local theater has been closed down, which, unbeknownst to them, is under the circumstance of a box office robbery that occured on the Pacific seaboard. After venting out their frustration at the basketball court, the boys decide to shoot their own low-budget movie project. However, when they play the videotape recording at a premiere party in their warehouse, it turns out that stock clips recorded off of the television were intervened by news of the robbery. As Jesse walks outside to dispose of the jumbled up recording, he encounters Carleton Ember, one of the employees at the EmberMark Film Company, who insists that he will "throw the tape away for him". This leads to a misunderstanding that ultimately drives the entire party into a fight, with Jesse and Jonas staying put.

*Coming soon!*

## Voice cast

* Logan Lerman as Jesse Herriman
* Josh Gad as Jonas Presley
* Matt Frewer as Mark Ember, the founder and producer of EmberMark Film Company
* James Franco as Carleton Ember, Mark's brother

*More coming soon!*

### Additional voices

* Newell Alexander
* Steve Alterman
* Bob Bergen
* Kevin Bigley
* G.K. Bowes
* Ranjani Brow
* Mitch Carter
* Brook Chalmers
* Julie Falls
* Jeff Fisher
* Marissa Goodman
* Richard S. Horvitz
* Rif Hutton
* Christine Lakin
* Mela Lee
* Hope Levy
* Scott Menville
* Edie Mirman
* Juan Pope
* Allison Roth
* Michelle Ruff
* Kelly Stables
* Shane Sweet
* Marcelo Tubert
* Wally Wingert

## Production

### Development

Adrian Hancock developed an idea for a project titled *Jesse & Jonas* in 2010; it originally centered on the titular protagonists being hip hop fans who are sent to rehabilitation in an orchestral camp run by a greedy counselor, after misbehaving at a party on the last day of school. In 2011, however, Hancock re-developed the film and its story under its expanded title *Jesse & Jonas Go West!*, focusing more on the characters' mission to protect film studios in California from unexpected bankruptcies.

The film was announced in December 2014, along with the beginning of its pre-production stage. However, it drew unexpected comparisons to *Palm City*, another animated film set in Los Angeles in the 1990s. However, Hancock stated that the premise of the film focused more on slackers in their mid-20's, citing influences from buddy comedy films such as the *Bill & Ted* duology and *Dumb and Dumber*.

*More coming soon!*

### Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 27, 2017. In March 2016, the film was pushed forth to December 14, 2018, with *Doodle Toons* taking its place. In March 2017, the film was pushed forth again to October 19, 2018.

## Marketing

* The film's teaser trailer was released on October 25, 2017, and was shown in theaters alongside *Doodle Toons* and *Daddy's Home 2*.
* Another teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2018, and was shown before films such as *Incredibles 2*, *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom*, and *Armada*.
* The first theatrical trailer was released on July 4, 2018, and was shown before films such as *Ant-Man and the Wasp*, *Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation*, and *Mission: Impossible – Fallout*.
* The second theatrical trailer was released on August 21, 2018, and was shown before films such as *The House With a Clock in Its Walls*, *Smallfoot*, and *A Star Is Born*.

## Release

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 77% approval rating from 112 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Adrian Hancock's signature detail is put to thrilling effect with *Jesse and Jonas Go West!*, an ambitious nostalgia-themed comedy only boosted farther up by its superb cast and slick soundtrack." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

### Home media

*Jesse and Jonas* was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download on February 26, 2019.

## Music

#### Track listing

1. Box Office Getaway
2. Shooting Footage
3. Videotape Revelation
4. Roughhouse Party
5. Pick Up Your Scraps
6. The Producer's Office
7. Los Angeles Police Department
8. Our First Day

*More coming soon!*

#### Track listing

1. Open Your Eyes - Guano Apes
2. The Wake-Up Bomb - R.E.M.
3. Hello - The Beloved
4. That's Just What You Are - Aimee Mann
5. Yeah Yeah Brother - Black Grape
6. Soundtrack to Mary - Soul Coughing
7. Come to California - Matthew Sweet
8. Ancodia - 808 State
9. Right Direction - En Vogue
10. Stuck with Me - Green Day
11. Connected - Stereo MCs
12. Day Job - Gin Blossoms
13. Mama Cita - Blonde Redhead
14. The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You - Bryan Adams

## Transcripts

### Main

To see the main transcript of the film, click here.

### Trailers

To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.