Nirvanna the Band the Movie the Show

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE MOVIE THE SHOW️ (2026)

Matt Johnson, you did it again!

After BlackBerry (2023), I was excited to see what the Canadian director would do next, but seeing some of the descriptions for this movie made me feel like it wouldn’t be my cup of tea—and boy, was I wrong!

How in the (pardon my language) f*ck did they make this movie?!

This is an unreal, found-footage-feeling, mockumentary-styled love letter to Back to the Future and the city of Toronto.

Being in Toronto last year and travelling through a lot of where this was shot, as well as Back to the Future being one of my all-time favorite movies, made this watch all kinds of crazy fun. I’m writing this while still wondering how they were able to shoot half of this movie. They deserve so much props for pulling this off. It's a completely unhinged swing for the fences that ends up feeling like a walk-off home run.

One of the reasons I held off on watching this is because I thought it was going to be a watered-down version of Jackass, white boys just wilding out, but the only Jackass is me for assuming this was something other than an endearing story of a bromance that has outgrown itself, and the enduring resilience and heart of one friend trying to keep it alive.

Matt Johnson’s performance feels like a resurrection of Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown from Back to the Future (1985), with doses of Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dune character from Dumb and Dumber (1994) sprinkled in. Then there’s Jay McCarroll’s character, who is a seemingly selfish, albeit somewhat relatable friend, who’s grown beyond the outlandish antics of his ride-or-die partner in unintentional crime.

I’ve been in a situation where sometimes you still care about a friend, but it’s just not the same anymore, and you know the vibes aren’t the same, but it feels too serious to have a conversation to end it, especially in a case where you’re convinced to jump off the CN Tower (again, how did they pull this off?!). Letting it fade away is never easy, but it’s hard not to come across like an asshole when you just try to roundabout the situation. So I get his perspective as much as I do Matt’s, who wants to keep a friendship alive by any means possible, even if that means travelling back in time.

In a week when Cineplex’s CEO blamed the quality of Canadian films for their poor box office performance, instead of the lack of funding required to properly bring filmmakers’ visions to life, it feels like a major win for Canadian cinema to see a film like this so widely and rightfully celebrated.

We’re heading towards a time where a lot of our products and services, especially in entertainment, are from across the border, and now, more than ever, is the time to champion homegrown talent. This is the kind of movie worth rooting for, and one that will spawn an entire generation of Canadian filmmakers that will put asses in seats.

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE MOVIE THE SHOW one of those watches where you sit back, soak in what you just watched, and think to yourself, “This is why I love movies."

Enjoy!

8.6/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 1hr45mins
Where: Now Playing In Theatres

The Richmond Reviewer Nirvanna the Band the Movie the Show Review - February 26th, 2026.

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