Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Matt Johnson directs. Jared Raab behind the camera. Jay McCarrol scores. Curt Lobb cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
• 2Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.
• 3Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
• 4Directed by Matt Johnson, shot by Jared Raab. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Jay McCarrol. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Curt Lobb shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol and Ben Petrie carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "One... last... plan.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt35522483 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Classified under 17 themes, including "toronto, canada", "time travel", "parody", "road trip".

The technical file

Cinematography

Jared Raab

Original score

Jay McCarrol

Editing

Curt Lobb

Production design

Kerry Noonan

Costume design

Rachel Anderson

Makeup / hair

Rikki Zucker

VFX supervisor

Tristan Zerafa

Sound

Olivia Kolakowski

Stunt coordinator

Derrick Rabethge

Runtime

100 min · 1h 40m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$1,200,000

Box office

$5,191,174

Return

433% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2026) ↗

Also by

Matt Johnson

• 
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  2017 · ★ 7.9
• 
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• 
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• 
  Stavros Halkias: Uncle Stav

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• 
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• 
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Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  NTBTSTM SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  Another reason to be glad to see the back of K*** S******...

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  This one goes out to our friend Matt, a little buff, a little fat

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  Interview with Matthew Johnson & Jay McCarrol

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  What if The Matrix was filmed in an RV?

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Clip - The Alphabet Song

  Clip · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• CinemaSerf2026-07-08
  ★ 6/10

  Ok, so perhaps I just wasn't in the mood but this just didn't make me laugh. It's nothing whatsoever to do with the band "Nirvana" - just in case you were wondering. Instead it follows two friends whose dream of playing at the legendary Rivoli club never seems to get any nearer. Perhaps that's because they have no musical talent at all? Well we never find out, but what we do know is that Jay McCarrol is an OK pianist and his pal Matt Johnson is a loud and irritating character who constantly comes up with schemes to secure their success. They've been trying since 2008 and it's the idea of going back in time that appeals to Matt. Determined to manufacture his own flux capacitor to install in their mobile home, he is convinced that's their best plan. Jay, on the other hand, concludes that he'd be much better off on his own and so sets off for an open mike night in not-so-nearby Ottawa. He doesn't realise that his pal is sleeping in the vehicle and so at 88kph, lightning strikes à la "Back to the Future" (1985) and they end up in 2008. Now there, their only wish is to get straight back home, but they mustn't be seen (think Prime Directive sort of thing) as they return to their former flat to procure some fuel. It's now that they have a bit of a domestic and split up - only for their timelines to separate and for Jay to become an international rock star whilst Matt achieves, well, nothing really. Is there any chance the two can be reconciled - in this or any other timeline? Might their friendship endure or will Jay just bin his exasperating floppy-hatted friend and enjoy the fruits of his success? There is a relentless flow of dialogue - usually from a Johnson who clearly thinks that expletives substitute for wit; there's virtually no music to speak of and by mid way through I was expecting Laurel and Hardy to come out with a plank and a bucket. It's all just so predicable and the deliberately visible presence of the camera crews, and what looks like some bemused audience participation, robs us of any chance to buy into any of the sci-fi elements of this increasingly lacklustre story. It's busy and frenetic and if you like zany, then maybe you'll take more from this than I did. I don’t really, and I didn't.

  Read full review ↓
• morvern2026-07-27
  ★ 1/10

  Utterly un-amusing dross. I don't know who told them they were funny, but they lied.

  Read full review ↓
• The Fixate & Binge Podcast, w/ Joe Curdy2026-07-29

  Whatever I was expecting — and I went into this as blind as I could — I wasn't anticipating having my jaw on the floor as often as I did. Not since BEING JOHN MALKOVICH has a film so thoroughly taken me on a wild ride through surrealism, humor, and gonzo filmmaking that shatters the fourth wall over and over and over again. Any attempt to explain what happens in the film would spoil the experience — so I'll keep this as vague as possible. Longtime writers and Canadian comedy duo Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol play fictionalized versions of themselves in this time-traveling quest for their musical group, Nirvana the Band, to achieve success. A series of outrageous stunts designed to generate the buzz that will turn heads results in a metaphysical anomaly that bends our perception of time, thrusting both Johnson and McCarrol into a reality that feels like wandering through a traveling carnival's House of Mirrors. With Christopher "Tenet" Nolan-esque "how did they do that?" moments throughout, the film never forgets its purpose: friendship and loyalty, even if the road taken to get there is as bonkers as a Hunter S. Thompson acid trip. One of the year's biggest surprises, NIRVANA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE offers viewers an experience that can't be matched. Also directed by Johnson (who co-starred and directed the critically-overlooked 2023 film BLACKBERRY) -- don't miss the film, streaming now on VOD.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Crave

  CA

• 

  Zapruder Films

  CA

Key crew

• EditorCurt Lobb
• EditorRobert Upchurch
• ProducerMatt Greyson
• ProducerMatthew Miller
• Executive ProducerJared Raab
• Executive ProducerAdrian Love
• Executive ProducerKate Parkes
• Associate ProducerSydney Lloyd
• Second Unit Director of PhotographyNikolay Michaylov
• Production DesignKerry Noonan
• Visual Effects SupervisorTristan Zerafa
• Key Production AssistantBen Shane
• Executive ProducerBrian Alkerton
• Line ProducerErin Berry
• Consulting ProducerVictoria Lean
• Executive ProducerJay McCarrol
• Art DirectionMalcolm McKenzie
• Costume DesignRachel Anderson
• Costume DesignHanna Puley
• Third Assistant DirectorLauren Andrews
• Second Unit First Assistant DirectorAustin Birtch
• SoundAdam Clark
• Sound DesignerOlivia Kolakowski
• Foley ArtistTess Moir

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• toronto, canada
• time travel
• parody
• road trip
• mockumentary
• candid camera
• publicity stunt
• comedy of situation
• based on web series
• 2000s
• metafiction
• adventure comedy
• based on tv series
• independent film
• alt comedy
• metatextual
• semi-scripted

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2025-03-09· South by Southwest Film & TV Festival
• Premiere2025-10-01· Beyond Fest
• Premiere2025-11-01· Denver Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-25· Philadelphia Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-26· Virginia Film Festival
• Premiere2025-12-05R· Chicago, Illinois
• Premiere2025-11-12R· Portland, Oregon
• Premiere2025-10-27R· New York City, New York
• Premiere2025-11-13R· San Francisco, California
• Premiere2025-12-04R· Austin, Texas

Also known as

International titles

• Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025)CA
• Nirvanna, The Band, The Show, The MovieUS
• הסרט המופרע בכל הזמניםIL
• 너바나 더 밴드KR
• Nirvanna - The Band - The Show - The MovieUS
• Nirvanna: The Band - The Show - The MovieUS
• Нирвана. Группа. Шоу. ФильмRU
• ntbtstmCA