‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ Review: Poignant Nostalgic Buffoonery
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is an incredibly poignant throwback to the times when life was easier, and we were more optimistic.
Matt Johnson and longtime collaborator Jay McCarrol reunite once again for a feature-length film based on their hilarious web series and short-lived VICE TV series, Nirvanna the Band the Show, which follows fictionalized versions of the duo as they scheme to score a show at the Rivoli Theater in Toronto, even though they don’t have any songs prepared or a band. Read our Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie review.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie follows Matt Johnson & Jay McCarrol (Matt Johnson & Jay McCarrol) as Matt plans one last scheme to secure their dreams of performing at the Rivoli Theater the following night. Still, the plan goes awry, and the duo manages to time-travel back to the year 2008, on the night they began their never-ending ploys to achieve, well, I don’t know, and they don’t either. What follows is a mix of some of the most genuinely smart filmmaking I’ve seen in quite some time, paired with the shenanigans of an MTV’s Jackass episode, but with more plot. The film follows the structure of classic 80s films, with all the tropes of iconic friendships intact.
The way the film is shot by Jared Raab & Rich Williamson and edited by Robert Upchurch is utterly genius, as for a lot of the runtime, Matt will either be ranting to the camera for minutes on end, or the pair will be attempting some insane stunt in front of the public; no matter if it is the former or the latter, the results are resoundingly entertaining nonetheless. The first 15 minutes of the film, which depict the scheme before they time-travel, could be its own film entirely; however, the bits keep coming, and the laughs never end. During this sequence, Matt & Jay get into a hilarious exchange with a retail store worker who is unaware he is being filmed. Due to the candid nature of their interaction, the scene is infinitely funnier. Matt & Jay will be attempting insane things in public that I will not mention to refrain from spoilers, and will stop what they’re doing to interact with strangers, creating even more comedy out of an already hilarious situation. The shenanigans ensue as our protagonists make massive changes in the past, altering the future of pop culture as we know it. We see so many iconic moments from the last seventeen years depicted in a new light that gave me so much nostalgia for the times when life was simpler, and it was just easier to laugh with my friends and ignore responsibility. In between all the chaos, there are moments where old footage of the duo is recontextualized in this film, and the editing is so seamless that audiences won’t be able to realize the nostalgic videos weren’t planned 20 years ago to line up with the current narrative.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is an incredibly poignant throwback to the times when life was easier, and we were more optimistic. It incorporates the plot of nostalgic films like Back to the Future, camcorder footage, childhood sodas, video games, and the feeling of doing dumb things with your best friend into a love letter to the series the film is based on. Its Mission: Impossible-esque stunts shot in a mockumentary style create some of the funniest and most tense sequences I’ve ever experienced in a theater, whilst the chemistry of Johnson & McCarrol anchored the shenanigans in a sense of poignancy. This is the best film of 2026 so far, and any fans of the show or comedic filmmaking must see it to believe it.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie was directed by Matt Johnson and written by Johnson & Jay McCarrol, based on the series, Nirvanna the Band the Show by Johnson, McCarrol, Matthew Miller, Curt Lobb, and Jared Raab. The film stars Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol, Jared Raab, Ben Petrie, Ethan Eng, Michael Scott, and Reid Janisse.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie was released in theaters on February 13 by Elevation Pictures.
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