I’m embarrassed. Truly. That was one of a variety of reactions that coursed through my body after seeing Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie in theaters recently. I was embarrassed because I realized something so hilarious, so out there, so filled with pop culture passion had existed for years, and I was just now becoming aware of its existence. But, at least I finally knew, so I pushed that embarrassment aside to revel in some other reactions. Reactions like pure joy, exhilaration, and the physical pain of smiling too big for too long after watching a film I truly adored.
To fill you in on a few of the things I didn’t know about, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is exactly what the title says, if you work backwards. It’s a Canadian movie, of a show, about a band that calls itself “Nirvanna.” That band is made up of Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol. The pair stars, Johnson directs, and they co-wrote the screenplay. (Johnson also directed Blackberry and is attached to make a Magic: The Gathering movie.)The film itself is about this band trying to play a show at a Toronto venue called the Rivoli, which, I later found out, is exactly what many of the show’s episodes are about, too.
That show started as a web series in 2007 and became the titular “The Show” in 2017, airing in the U.S. on Viceland. So it’s been around quite a long time before last week’s release of the film. But, most importantly, none of that is crucial to enjoying the movie. Which I say for a fact because almost all of it I discovered afterwards, and I still found the movie to be a blast.
Now, on the surface, Nirvanna The Band The Show isn’t something we’d feature on io9. It’s a reality-based comedy show that might be filled with references to pop culture we cover but is still mostly grounded. The film, however, is not grounded. In the film, Matt and Jay come up with some of their wildest, most out-there plans yet. One of which is to travel back in time.
So how would two pop culture nerds decide to time-travel? With the rules of Back to the Future, of course, and so the film very expertly skirts the boundaries of licensing to use footage, music, and more from that film to actually travel through time. From there, as you can expect, things go largely off the rails.
And while the film’s reverence for pop culture is a bonus, it’s not the main reason why it works so well. The main reason is that these characters have a powerful friendship and trust, which allows them to do and say truly wild things to each other. It creates a level of unpredictability and humor that feels very much like a blend of The Office and Da Ali G Show because lots of what Matt and Jay do comes from filming in the real world with real people. Are these people aware? Are they in on the joke? You never quite know, and that mystery adds yet another level to the experience.
The film also makes almost shocking use of how much society has changed between 2025 and 2008. It would be a sin to spoil some of the reveals, but once Jay and Matt make it back to 2008, some of the biggest laughs come from some subtle and not-so-subtle changes that have occurred over that time. And the characters themselves change too, which is where we get most of the narrative beats.
But more than that, watching Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is simply a delight. From the Ben Folds song that opens the film to all the super nerdy jokes and then the loving relationship between two friends, it’s one of those movies that shouldn’t work but does. So much happens, and yet it all feels so effortless. You can’t stop watching and can’t stop wondering how they pulled this off, all while laughing your ass off. It’s also got an almost home movie quality to it, which purposefully makes the events that happen feel even more audacious.
To describe Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie to someone who isn’t aware of it is difficult. It’s wholly unique and wonderful. But if you said it’s kind of a mash-up of Back to the Future, Cloverfield, Spaced, and Arrested Development, with a dash of The Real World, you’d be on the right track. It’s a unicorn of a movie that immediately made me search out the show to become a fan years after I wish I already had been (Which, unfortunately, hasn’t been possible because it’s nowhere online legally at the moment.) In that way, though, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie isn’t just about time travel; it made me time travel, too. And you should make time and space to try to catch the film when you can.
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is now in select theaters. Find tickets here.
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