Nirvanna: The Band – The Show – The Movie
It’s a miracle this film was ever shown in cinemas – and so to Nirvanna: The Band’s copyright nightmare…
Image courtesy of Elevation Pictures.
by FLOYD MILLINGTON
The comedy’s long and unusual title perfectly captures the maddening high jinks of Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, who are still trying to get their act, Nirvanna the Band, to play at a small Toronto bar, The Rivoli. Then another one of Matt’s plans inevitably goes awry. When Jay is fed up with Matt’s schemes always going wrong, he tries to flee to Ottawa to play a show by himself but is caught by Matt who suspects that Jay is going along with another plan…
The creators and writers Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol both portray versions of themselves who, in their own words, “are playing versions of adults in the way that children think of adults.” They exude a chemistry and almost romantic love for each other which definitely is brought from their relationship in real life, along with their love of film, which doesn't take an eagle’s eye to notice. A lot of the ideas here are either lovingly played with or completely appropriated in a way that you can feel the appreciation and which doesn’t feel messy. Along with McCarrol’s score, there is an affectionate interpretation of the films which they “take inspiration” from.
Matt Johnson’s directorial style stays with him throughout his filmography, with a handheld camera and “Jim from The Office” fourth-wall breaks, melting together perfectly with this continuation of a cult mockumentary web-series-turned-TV show. You never really know if some of the people who feature here are characters or captures of real people with Matt and Jay improvising along with them. It’s surreal watching the protagonists stumble into every situation they get into and the solutions they come up with trying to achieve the things they want. It really makes you ask “how the hell did they do this on an independent budget?”.
The film creatively pivots the budget that a blockbuster with the same premise might have had, using cameras from the 2000s and exploiting their connections and fan base in order to immerse you in this wonderful film, sometimes pointing fun at these exploits and hinting at the creative process, making you feel like you are on the production team and are actually best friends with Matt and Jay. Any creative watching will surely be inspired to create themselves, especially with a shoestring budget.
Cast: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol, Jared Raab, Ben Petrie, Ethan Eng, Michael Scott, Reid Janisse, Maddy Wilde.
Dir Matt Johnson, Pro Matthew Miller and Matt Greyson, Screenplay Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, Ph Jared Raab, Pro Des Kerry Noonan, Ed Curt Lobb and Robert Upchurch, Music Jay McCarrol, Costumes Rachel Anderson and Hanna Puley.
Zapruder Films/Telefilm Canada/Crave-Elevation Pictures.
100 mins. Canada. 2025. US Rel: 13 February 2026. Cert. R.