When the early word out of SXSW 2025 was that the movie was one of the most insane things Matt has ever done, I never expected to be this infatuated with a piece of IP. I’ve been a fan of Matt Johnson’s work since his debut feature, The Dirties (2013), and having re-discovered, binged, and fell back in love with his love letter to Toronto and friendship, Nirvanna the Band the Show, in the early years of COVID-19. I saw the movie for the first time August 27th, 2025, and knew immediately after getting out of the press screening that I had to be at the Midnight Madness premiere on opening night to take in the rambunctious crowd that was simply going to eat up this literal miracle of a movie* (something Johnson admits in so many words himself during the actual movie) and I was not disappointed. I think I have watched every video that exists on the internet up to this point of anything Matt and Jay McCarroll have said about making this movie; I have found every Q&A, attended every Q&A in Toronto, and just get more and more information about the madness that came together to create this important piece of art that doubles as a love letter to friendship and Toronto while also furthering their plan to get a show at the Rivoli (and a third season of their show). Is there a number that qualifies as “this is too many” times one can see this movie? Well, let me tell you, having seen the movie NINE times before watching it a subsequent three times over two days to watch both commentary tracks in their entirety and then watch the movie as a whole without commentary, the answer is no, there is no limit to watching the madness and ingenuity that is Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.
If you’d like to learn about Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie in a spoiler-free context, head over to EoM Contributor Justin Waldman’s initial TIFF 2025 review.
L-R: Matt Johnson as Matt and Jay McCarrol as Jay in NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE. Photo courtesy of TIFF/NEON.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (here on out will be referred to as NtBtStM) is the cinematic adventure of the web series created by Matt Johnson and Jay McCaroll about having their band, Nirvanna The Band, play at Toronto’s Rivoli (which is not a historic club, it is not the Horseshoe Tavern, or the El Mocambo; it is just a random restaurant/music space on Queen Street [the heart of downtown] in Toronto). Their plans, which are always chaotic and filled with psychotic ideas, fail, they always do, because if they get the show, it’s over. After trying to play the Rivoli for 17 years, Matt finally comes up with the plan of all plans, the one plan they will execute that will finally get them a show at the Rivoli. The Seventh Inning [not stretch] Skydive — the plan is to go up the CN Tower, go to the Edgewalk, and jump off the top of the CN Tower, and skydive (skydiven? skydove? [this is a bit in the movie]) into the Skydome to announce that they are Nirvanna the Band, and everyone inside the 45-thousand-person capacity dome is welcome to come to their show, which they do not have, at The Rivoli. This is all because Matt believes if you build it they will come. No idea how that makes a lick of sense in this scenario as they’re telling 45 thousand people to attend a show with a capacity of under 1,000, but alas, this is the plan. The hype around the stunt is surely going to have people interested enough in seeing them play the Rivoli.
Well, how does one simply skydive into the Skydome you may wonder? The first thing you do is go to Canadian Tire and speak to a Libertarian who does not condone you jumping off the CN Tower but tells you the pair of clippers you have are surely going to be strong enough to cut the cable to allow you to execute the plan. Without giving away too much of this, the plan fails, miserably, and Jay is understandably exhausted by Matt’s absolute nonsense plans that seemingly never work (web series aside). Matt, oblivious as ever, thinking Jay is *just* tired, decides to brainstorm another wacky idea on how to get a show at the Rivoli, and, in typical ADHD fashion, bounces around a thousand ideas, and decides he is going to build a time machine out of the RV in their backyard to tell the Rivoli that they’re from the future and the venue needs to give Nirvanna the Band a show at the Rivoli as the future depends on it. Matt builds a replica of the flux capacitor in the RV while Jared Raab, their DP, writer, and collaborator, films this as Jay is inside the house planning a different future for himself. Matt gives up hours after he creates the time machine as he spilled the last bottle of Orbitz in existence on the flux capacitor, and broke it. Meanwhile, Jay is on the phone with a club in Ottawa, booking himself an open mic, and confirms he does in fact have a show. He decides to get up in the morning, take the RV, and make his trek from Toronto to Ottawa not knowing Matt is passed out on the lower bunk in the RV. Well, on his way to Ottawa, breaking all geographical sense of Toronto, Matt wakes up, startles Jay, and confronts him as Jay doesn’t want to tell Matt he was going to leave and go to Ottawa to see if he could’ve made it on his own. Well, while they’re arguing and bickering, the RV hits 88 kilometers an hour and a bolt of lightning appears as Jay almost drives right into the back of a street car, crashing into the corner outside of Much Music, knocking over a few newspaper boxes. While, we’re not going to spoil how they find out, Matt and Jay eventually realize that they’ve travelled back to 2008 through a series of bits and visual references. Now determined to get back to the present, they must find more Orbitz — a trajectory that is nearly impossible as, in 2008, the drink was already severely discontinued — but in 2008, young Matt and Jay also found a box of Orbitz, so the hunt to find the Orbitz, fix the time machine, and not create a Butterfly Effect (it was an Ashton Kutcher movie, you know) is on.
Jay McCarrol as Jay in NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE. Photo courtesy of NEON.
While they get back to 2025, it is a different reality they are in now because of a fight between Matt and Jay which resulted in Matt erasing the white board at their old apartment and writing boldly, “DON’T PLAY THE RIVOLI,” leading to an alternate future that is much more prosperous for Jay, and literal hell for Matt. While the rest of the movie is focused on Matt trying to get back to 2008 and Jay trying to go back a few days to prevent himself from doing something he cannot undo, the underlying levels of friendship, joy, and sheer chaos are undeniable, which, at the core, is what makes NtBtStM so endearing and, dare I say, one of the greatest movies about friendship ever made. In my original review I wanted to give the movie a 6 out of 5; rewatching it eight times since then only solidifies this feeling and watching the commentary tracks along with the handful of other bonuses, makes me want to give it an unprecedented 7 out of 5.
Matt Johnson as Matt in NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE. Photo courtesy of NEON.
So, let’s talk about special features here for Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie The Blu-ray. There are two commentary tracks: the first is with Matt Johnson, Jay McCarroll, Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, and Jared Rabb (Miller and Greyson are producers and have writing credits) while the second is with Johnson, Curt Lobb, and Robert (Bobby) Upchurch (the editors). The first commentary is excellent, filled with easter eggs and annoyingly but understandably censored bits on how they did the entire CN tower thing, including details about Jay and crew getting arrested inside the Skydome dressed as the Blue Jays mascot Ace before they filmed the actual scene as they didn’t realize they’d actually be able to pull it off, changing the trajectory of the entire movie as getting to do the Edgewalk and through CN Tower security never felt like something possible, and they scrapped the entire first movie they had already made [all of this has been confirmed in Q&A’s]. The second commentary about the editing process is less interesting and certainly contains fewer tidbits and more inside baseball. Well, there are two important notes to be made as well. Firstly, in the second commentary, it seems Matt leaves at one point and is doing some commentary while on the phone and it is a little hard to hear him at points, but, secondly, Johnson gets ribbed about having consumed an entire pizza across the first commentary and consistently talking with his mouth full. Considering he is talking for nearly the entire 90-plus-minute commentary, his mouth is not always full, but there are occasions where it is audibly noticeable. As well, my favorite part of the commentary is giving credit to Ben Petrie for coming up with the alternative timeline’s band’s plan to get into the show, one of the funniest most unexpected bits in the movie.
Atop of the two commentary tracks, there is a deleted scene with Ethan which proves he may be the funniest character in the movie aside from Matt and Jay; an alternate opening which does not work as well as the intended opening (which Johnson hates); animatics; “Home Movies,” which is just behind-the-scenes and unused footage which is going to feed the fandom for generations; the “Figured It Out” featurette which explains the “plan;” “Back to 2008, Running Cable,” the post-credit scene which has serious implications for Season 3 (Johnson has said the movie takes place in the middle and closer to the end of Season 3); and arguably the most important bonus feature if you’re just discovering Matt Johnson, Jay McCarroll, and Nirvanna the Band the Show, episode 101 “The Banner” so you can demand more of the show, prove there is an audience for it and ensure we get a season 3 we all deserve. While wanting to deep dive into the “Home Movies” feature, there is so much here, so much that is best to be discovered on one’s own, but there are moments that further the fandom that Matt and Jay are an item — and two moments specifically in this feature are going to make it even harder to deny.
L-R: Jay McCarrol as Jay and Matt Johnson as Matt in NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE. Photo courtesy of NEON.
While the running gag since the show’s inception hasn’t come to fruition yet (please Criterion and NEON, put NtBtStM in the Criterion Closet, if not for anything else but for the bit), as the web series, and the original release of Johnson’s The Dirties, were released by him himself, sold on the corner of their apartment, with fake Criterion covers, this would truly by the culmination of excellence. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie The Blu-Ray is a bar of excellence in features, movie, and quality. It’s always meant to be a handheld style of shooting and it looks incredible at home. Having seen this movie on freshly struck 35 mm (not that it was shot on film) and having seen DCP in a variety of enhanced screens, and not, the Blu-ray looks just as spectacular. There will never be another movie that is like NtBtStM; there will never be another NtBtStM. The TV show will somehow try manage to surpass the madness of the film, and if rumors are true, it is very possible it may happen, but, for now, talk about Nirvanna, watch Nirvanna, let your voices be heard by everyone you know that you want more Nirvanna, and ensure we get the season 3 we deserve.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie: The Special Features
- Commentary with Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol (Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, and Jared Raab)
- Commentary with Matt Johnson and the Post team
- Alternate Opening
- Animatics
- Back to 2008, Running Cable
- Ethan Deleted Scene
- Home Movies
- Figured It Out Featurette
- Nirvanna the Band the Show Episode 101
- The Banner
- Post Credit Scene
Available on digital March 24th, 2026.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD May 26th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official NEON Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie webpage.
To purchase, head to the official NEON Shop Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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