“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” (2025)

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Grade: A-

Nirvanna the Band is Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, a Canadian musical comedy duo without any songs, whose only goal (i.e., schtick) in life is to play a show at the Rivoli. The metafictional mockumentary was originally released as a web series in 2007, a fun blend of absurdist humor and practical joke improvisation. Nirvanna the Band the Show is their Viceland TV series, which aired for two entertaining seasons from 2017 to 2018. And Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is their well-deserved, 18-year-later, big-screen breakthrough: a hilarious and surprisingly heartwarming story about friendship and time travel.

Johnson’s appearance, screen presence and endless riffing (he’s also the director) and McCarrol’s subtle, muted reactions (he’s also the composer of the film score, which combines Back to the Future bombast with Bernard Herrmann-influenced, CN Tower-induced vertigo swells) make for a great comedic pairing. They’re like a Canadian answer to Flight of the Conchords or The Lonely Island, albeit a bit funnier, smarter and more creative than both. As for the time-travel aspect, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is probably the best period piece about 2008 ever made, totally nailing the vibe of the somewhat recent past. With Johnson and McCarroll, all the world’s a stage, and the unsuspecting Toronto tourists, streetwalkers and shopworkers are the secret ingredient to their guerilla filmmaking comedy. This is a must-watch movie that is fun, zany, nostalgic, lovably stupid and completely unpredictable. It’s a parody film that parodies itself; self-deprecating yet respectful to everyone involved; completely Canadian in the best way.