Nirvana the Band the Show has been a niche internet hit for decades, however this particular comedy subculture had been a blind spot of mine up until late 2025 when my social media feed became flooded with ads for Nirvana the Band the Show: the Movie. I’m a fan of Comedy Bang Bang, Tim Heidecker’s work, Trailer Park Boys, Taskmaster and other British panel shows, Nathan Fielder, Joe Pera, Aunty Donna, and a number of other alt-comedy staples – but for some reason Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol never came across my radar.
Intrigued by an ad featuring Matt Johnson describing the myriad of laws the production broke while filming this movie, I biked to the Philadelphia Film Society on my President’s Day off from work to check out the crimes.
Much to my surprise, movie tickets are just $6 at the Philadelphia Film Society Bourse on Mondays, which incentivized me to buy a snack and a bottle of water for the show.
The trailers before the movie were dominated by the NEON film studio and most looked interesting! Nirvana the Band the Show: the Movie is a NEON film itself.
The premise of the movie is simple, it’s a time machine male-frienship comedy, think Hot Tub Time Machine or Bill & Ted but Canadian. In earnest I detest a time travel movie, it’s been done too many times and it’s been done nearly every way possible. However, this is perhaps the best execution of a time travel movie that I’ve ever seen.
Nirvana the Band the Show: the Movie features pockets of the film shot in between 2007 and 2009 when Johnson and McCarrol were producing their web series “Nirvana the Band the Show.” The footage shot nearly 20 years ago blends seamlessly into the modern footage partially because the core of Nirvana the Band the Show’s plot which is: Johnson tries endlessly to get the band booked at the Rivoli and McCarrol assists in a deadpan fashion, has remained consistent throughout everything they’ve produced.
Those two plot lines, time travel shenanigans and trying to get booked at the Rivoli combine for some classic hi-jinx.
The most stunning accomplishment of this film is their seemingly unfettered access to the CN Tower, which Americans may recognize as the tall building from that one Drake album. The entire film is filled with stolen shots, improv scenes, and real people reacting. Their most stunning public stunt comes near the beginning of the film when they openly tell a hardware store worker their plan to buy clippers that they can sneak to the top of the tallest building in Toronto and use to cut their cables and jump, then proceed to execute that plan nearly flawlessly. The scene is so unbelievable that an unknowing film-goer may think that it’s CGI, but nope – they do that, seemingly more than once.
As far as improv films go, this one is neatly and interestingly done from a structural standpoint. Other improv films like Eric Andre’s Bad Trip from 2021 and Between Two Ferns: The Movie from 2019 were similar run-and-gun partial improv movies whose structure and format were obvious early into the first act, whereas Nirvana the Band the Show: the Movie had more curveballs up its sleeve.
McCarrol and Johnson’s comedy is quintessentially Canadian – meaning the tone is light-hearted, the stakes are low, and there’s a subtlety to their overall delivery. Think about the difference in tone between the Trailer Park Boys and Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Bubbles would never kill someone and Charlie wouldn’t open a successful kitten bed and breakfast, you know? There’s a sweetness to McCarrol and Johnson’s relationship, this was my first Nirvana the Band the Show experience and their connection was apparent immediately.
Even the unknowing participants in the film are kind and well-meaning, whereas American reactions would have likely been heightened.
If you recognized any of the comedy references in this article, run don’t walk to see Nirvana the Band the Show: the Movie. If you didn’t recognize any of the comedy references in this article, consider seeing the movie – the comedy is transferable, the plot is understandable, the jokes are silly, and Johnson and McCarrol accomplished some truly impressive filmmaking feats in the 21st century.
The theater going experience was excellent, for $6 they could’ve called me a “piggy” at the front desk and made me stand through the movie. More than 75% of the theater was filled on a Monday at 6pm, laughs were audible throughout, and you could hear fans more familiar with the duo’s work celebrating inside jokes that I didn’t get. The Philadelphia Film Society does great work and are a wonderful alternative to corporately owned theaters.
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