PLOT: When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008.
REVIEW: I still remember the massive buzz that was around Nirvanna The Band the Show The Movie, when it did the festival circuit back in 2025. There were rumors that the film was very Back to the Future-inspired but that felt so impossible. How would they be able to get permission from Zemeckis/Spielberg, who are notoriously against any kind of remake? Well, it turns out that fair use goes a long way, and it results in one of the craziest times at the movies that I can recall.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (what a title) features the exploits of musicians Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol as they try to book a show at the Rivoli (a small venue in Toronto). In their pursuit, the two end up traveling back in time to the year 2008, and all sorts of hijinks ensue. Matt is the type of guy who always has a plan, and Jay just kind of goes along with it. This is where a lot of the primary conflict comes into play because this is ultimately a story about best friends. Thankfully, the two have a great dynamic together, with Johnson having the showier part, but McCarrol can’t be ignored just because he’s the straight man. They work well together and make the jokes land so well. They’re genuinely one of my favorite on screen duos in quite some time.
There are times where the 2008 footage melds with newer shot footage, and it nearly broke my mind with how seamless it all was. It practically feels like this was all planned for and is the case of expert editing. But they seem to have lucked out and filmed stuff back in 2008 that played perfectly into the concept they wanted and wrote around it in a way that would flow together perfectly. And all of it works to perfection. It’s crazy seeing an actual younger version of the two when we’re so used to seeing bad de-aging effects. This was such a lightning the bottle situation and it’s genuinely impressive. It’s rare that I’m able to watch a movie and have no idea how they pulled certain things off but that happens a lot in this film.
You may know Matt Johnson from his film BlackBerry in 2023 and the success of that allowed him to make this film. And it’s incredible to see the different tones he’s able to deal with as a director. BlackBerry was serious with some comedic moments but Nirvanna goes heavy into the comedy with only brief moments of taking things seriously. It all works well and makes Johnson a director to really look out for (he’s even got a film on Anthony Bourdain coming out later this year). He even makes the cameramen and their ability to be everywhere a bit of an unacknowledged joke that make sit all even funnier. Jay McCarrol also pulls double duty, providing the score for the film, and it’s insane how close he’s able to get to the original Back to the Future score from Alan Silvestri. I was completely convinced they somehow got permission for it, but nope; it’s just McCarrol doing a stunning recreation.
If you’re worried about not being able to understand the film because you haven’t seen the web series then don’t worry: it’s accessible for all. I had seen episodes back in the day but had no recall for it and I still ended up having a blast with the film. The characters and events are all presented in a way that long time viewers may glean a little bit more but first timers won’t feel like they’re missing out on anything. I’m sure the title is going to scare off some people, but I promise, it’s more accessible than you’d think.
I absolutely loved my time with Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. It’s downright hilarious and a technical marvel. Viewers will be shocked when certain films pop up and the degree to which Back to the Future plays a part in the story. There are some twists and turns that are so over the top and unexpected yet, despite the time travel element, feel completely grounded in the world. The blend of “do these people know they’re being filmed?” with high level technical achievements makes for a fascinating combo.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie releases to theaters on February 13th, 2026.
