Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie The Review
Nirvanna the Band the Show is a mouthful on its own, and not a name most based in America would be familiar with. For those up north, though, Nirvanna the Band is a comedy mockumentary series following Matt and Jay, two fictionalized versions of the show’s creators, fruitlessly trying to score a gig at a nearby bar, the Rivoli, despite their lack of a musical catalog.
The premise is so simple to understand that it blindsides almost every new viewer with the execution. From an early point in the series’ history, it seems “how did they do that?” could be a common question used to describe any number of Matt and Jay’s escapades, being filmed in public with only the two having the knowledge of their personas and scripts. Every interaction feels so authentic, with the way the characters interact with the world around them that much more grounded in reality as a result. So it’s no surprise that the series’ creators must be pretty sick of the same question being asked of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, although my first question leaving the theater was indeed wondering how any of this film was shot.
And shooting aside, the amount of references, allusions, and loving tributes paid throughout the film must have made for, as Matt Johnson puts it in a clip, “a copyright nightmare.” The name drops are all over the place, too, whether as well-known as a series like Back to the Future or the obscure Orbitz drink discontinued in 1999, a cornerstone of Nirvanna the Band’s shtick. Matt Johnson’s previous film BlackBerry chronicling the titular line of cell phones had a much wider draw, while NTBTSTM feels so niche and specific comedically and artistically, and yet so fresh as a result. There’s so much context that would make the experience even better going in—I myself have been watching the whole of Matt and Jay’s original webseries and Viceland series following the screening I went to. However, the movie doesn’t shut you out if you’ve never heard of Nirvanna the Band before, in fact, I recommend you see it that very same way. The movie serves as both a fleshed-out introduction and an all-too convincing tale of two friends’ chemistry remaining after nearly 20 years.
The lengths taken in this film to make the audience suspend their disbelief and feel the time travel elements work are astounding. The cameras used have authentic grain all throughout the period, with the Toronto the band has known having transformed into a place where emo is alive and well and convicted former comedians still headline the newspapers. Matt and Jay’s minds move a million miles an hour as they realize the situation they’ve gotten themselves into, and the audience is along for the ride as they experience the chaotic search for a solution in real time. The comedic interactions between Matt, Jay, Matt, Jay, Matt, and Jay kept me glued to the screen, as any generation of their mixed-and-matched banter has this earnest feeling to it. Despite how unsolvable and frantic their situation seems, the moments of pause they take to riff against newer or older versions of themselves is charming and puzzling—though again, in a good way. A way that makes you wonder whether they had plans for this movie when shooting old footage of themselves, or if they sold their souls to an omnipotent being in exchange for a work ethic I haven’t seen any other filmmaker utilize the way they have in NTBTSTM.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is still in theaters nationwide. Please go out and see it, whether 5 miles away or 20.