The duo of the tv series continue to look for success with ever-outlandish plans and a bottle of Orbitz
By: Craig Allan
Three and a half stars. See it.
The mystery screening at Cineplex and Landmark on February 2, 2026, was Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (NtBtStM). An oddly appropriate movie considering the day, as it involves its stars looking to undo the past. I was mostly unfamiliar with the web series, Nirvanna the Band, and the show it was based on, but I was a fan of the director and star Matt Johnson’s previous film, last year’s critical hit about the founding of the eponymous telecom giant, Blackberry. As for NtBtStM, despite not being familiar with writer/co-star Jay McCarrol, I found the movie an enjoyably absurd comedy rooted in Millennial nostalgia and with some truly creative ideas.
NtBtStM follows as Johnson and McCarrol continue their pursuit of trying to play at Toronto’s famed The Rivoli. After a failed skydiving stunt, a bottle of Orbitz will lead the pair to face their past and test their partnership like never before.
Johnson is carving a path for himself as one of the most innovative directors around. He skillfully adapts not-quite found footage into something that feels lived-in. One example of his innovation is his use of intellectual property, as debuted in Blackberry. Both Blackberry and NtBtStM contain a lot of intellectual property, from posters to scenes from movies. Normally, including these types of works would have to go through getting rights clearance from the respective studios, but if the material is imperative to the narrative structure of the film, it can be used without informing the copyright holder. Johnson is able to use many forms of IP as set dressing, in an innovative subversion of copyright law.
Johnson and McCarrol take a time-honoured film trope (avoiding spoilers) and turn it on its head. The way Johnson and McCarrol play out the core plot of their story makes it feel like they had been planning this movie for over 15 years. The way they take different material and blend it with older footage from their web series days is impressive. The comedy comes from the fact that Johnson seems more concerned with just being noticed via wacky stunts while McCarrol seems more concerned with the music. Just from the previews of their act, you wonder as a viewer what Johnson’s plan would be if he actually did win a chance to perform at The Rivoli.
Millennials often feel like a lost generation on film. Unlike 80’s kids who had the films of John Hughes, Millennials feel like they don’t have a director who made films embracing the Millennial experience. Johnson and McCarrol feel like they are tapping into the underserved demographic of the Millennials. Whether it is through their copious number of references adorning their home or the use of Orbitz soda as a driving plot of the film, NtBtStM is a film that wears its love for Millennial culture on its sleeve.
The film has a few jokes that really hit well. Scenes like a Canadian Tire employee who hears that the duo are going to jump off the CN Tower, but is unwilling to report this due to being a Libertarian. This is an example of the interactions that Johnson and McCarrol have with people whom you cannot be 100% sure are actors. There is also one truly hilarious and unexpected moment involving McCarrol that had me laughing for a good minute straight, but I won’t spoil it for you.
It’s good to see a new generation of Canadian talent establishing a unique brand of comedy in the fertile ground of Canadian comedy. Especially seeing as this movie is being shown as a surprise screening, the Monday after Catherine O’Hara died, a Toronto native who blazed her own comedy trail in Canada for the world to witness. Johnson and McCarrol are following in the tradition of great Canadian duos like Bob and Doug MacKenzie, Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice. While the show may not go on, or ever go on, NtBtStM is proof that when it comes to performing, the joy comes in the journey, not the destination.
