Directed by: Matt Johnson
Written by: Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol
Starring: Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol
For the uninitiated, “Nirvanna the Band the Show” started as a web series that features dramatized versions of performers/creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol following a very simple premise: they are attempting to get a show for their band (Nirvanna the Band) at Toronto club called The Rivoli. The webseries, and subsequently, two seasons of a television show featured the duo engaging in increasingly complicated and doomed schemes to book the show, incorporating hidden camera-style pranks on the public and often wedging in references and homages to pop culture. It’s a show with a big cult following, especially in their native Canada. Coming off the recent success of the fantastic film “BlackBerry,” director Matt Johnson stated in a post-film Q+A that the Canadian government offered him funding for his next film: whatever he wanted to make. With that funding, Johnson went out on a limb and made a feature film version of the series.
Long time viewers will be relieved to know that just because the film transitions to the big screen doesn’t mean the plot has changed, as the movie begins in a familiar and comfortable place: Johnson putting together an outlandish scheme to get booked at The Rivoli. When it (of course) goes hilariously wrong, the team quite literally goes back to the drawing board, eventually finding themselves inventing and using a time machine to go backwards in time to change their musical fate. What follows is an absolutely bonkers ride of a buddy film that is also an unabashed parody of “Back to the Future.”
There are no less than half a dozen absolutely killer gags in the film, which led to deafening laughter at a raucous and electric premiere screening at the ZACH Theatre at SXSW. The film’s opening scheme is shockingly well executed and its best execution of the “hidden camera” aspect of the filmmaking. In addition, there are plenty of other individual standout comedic moments, such as Johnson’s firm realization that they have indeed time traveled and a very funny meta commentary on its parody that was among the biggest laughs at the premiere screening.
Beyond the execution of some great physical/sight gags, Johnson’s direction is also extremely resourceful, really making the film’s intimate handheld style feel grand in scale through the use of solid VFX. The film also plays with previously shot footage over 18 years of production of the series and cleverly edits together a very cohesive narrative while simultaneously being self aware of the absurdity. It is clear that the film took a tremendous amount of effort to construct and every bit of that effort is up on screen.
If you’re concerned at all about not having seen the show, do not worry. The duo trying to get booked at The Rivoli is about all the context you need as the narrative works as a standalone film. And as a film, it’s an absolutely hilarious crowd pleaser. It’s got sharp writing, committed performances, cringey hidden camera interactions, absurd gags, time travel, pop culture references and a healthy dose of “how did they pull this off?” Though up until this point, the lore of the show has been on the small screen, “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” completely justifies itself as a big screen adventure and is poised to be one of the best comedy films of the year.