Thank You, Goodnight

Over the past 40 years, the band Bon Jovi (named after the lead singer Jon Bongiovi) has released 15 studio albums, sold more than 120 million records worldwide, and performed 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. In addition, two of their most well-known songs—“You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Living on a Prayer”—each have over 1 billion streams on Spotify. These accolades are a remarkable achievement for a lead singer who was once told by a vocal coach that his voice was pedestrian.

In fact, Jon Bon Jovi’s voice is at the center of the documentary. After singing and performing for 40 years, Bon Jovi faced a crisis. In 2013, he noticed that his vocal cords were overused and aging, resulting in chronic soreness. Unsure that his vocal cords could heal, he considered quitting. The documentary is a story in four episodes that flips back and forth between the history of the band and current day, where Jon Bon Jovi struggles to heal after undergoing vocal cord surgery in 2022. The opening scene shows him singing notes with a weak and scratchy voice—notes that were once effortless.

At times, it’s painful to watch someone who was on top of the world struggle to recapture the magic of a voice that was once able to soar. So it’s no surprise to see Jon Bon Jovi wrestle with grief and depression. Not knowing if he’ll ever be able to fully recover, he is determined to sing great—or not sing at all. It’s not pride, or stubbornness—it’s about giving great music the great voice it deserves.

Of course, drugs and alcohol plague various members of the band at different times, often causing chaos in the form of fights, divisions, and trips in and out of rehab (one of the key members, Richie Sambora, left the band in 2013 partly due to ongoing addiction issues). But the substance abuse is never glorified in the documentary. Instead, it sits at the edges always threatening to break up the band and destroy its members.

Christian audiences will appreciate the lessons learned by the band members, especially the honest and introspective look at the grief that affects all of us as we age and slowly lose the ability to do the things we love and have given us so much meaning.

The band Bon Jovi was inducted into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. As Jon Bon Jovi turns 60 years old and the band celebrates 40 years, this 2024 documentary captures the remarkable tale of a young kid from New Jersey who had dreams of being a rock and roll star and who was born with a voice to take him there. (Hulu, Rated TV-MA for strong language)