Running Time: 100 minutes
This feature from Neon opens exclusively at theaters on February 13th, 2026.
It can be hard when you’re starting a band and trying to get your big break. This is especially true when you’ve named your band “Nirvanna” to try and attract attention, and well, haven’t really ever played an actual show or recorded an album. This was the concept behind a successful Canadian web series and later mockumentary show. It followed a bickering duo trying to land a gig at a Toronto club. The two projects were known for getting its lead characters into outrageous situations, then interacting and improvising on the streets with real passersby.
After a hiatus, they have returned with Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a feature-length escapade in which they, once again, try to turn their hazy dreams into reality. This is a scrappy little independent film, but a remarkably likable one with big laughs and at least a pair of stunning scenarios that wow more than any Hollywood blockbuster.
If you haven’t seen the series, it doesn’t take more than a minute or two to get the gist of what’s going on. Matt (Matt Johnson) and Jay (Jay McCarrol) are the musicians in question, who have been trying for years to get their band booked for a show at a very specific locale. Matt is the high-energy leader of the operation, brainstorming outrageous publicity stunts to promote the group. Jay appears more level-headed and, after several years of failed attempts, his enthusiasm is waning. After their biggest and most dangerous feat goes wrong, a frustrated Jay balks when Matt suggests building a time-machine and restaging the stunt. Another shocking accident ends up sending the two to Toronto in 2008. They try to find their way back to 2025 without altering their timeline, but once again, things quickly go haywire.
As mentioned, the film frequently cuts between the characters doing outrageous things and interacting with real people on city streets. One imagines that the cast members efforts on the show for some years has provided them with remarkable expertise. They pull off some truly remarkable sequences. Wild moments involving jumping off of the CN Tower are stunning to behold. What viewers see the pair do onscreen can’t possibly have occurred, but it’s incredibly convincing nonetheless. And their actual interactions with real security guards, store owners and onlookers are not only funny, but lend an added authenticity to the proceedings.
While these moments are incredible, the film’s time-travel storyline also works well. On a technical level, the main characters are forced into sneaking around earlier versions of themselves, and it’s shocking how well the effect is accomplished. Again, any Hollywood production would have spent tens of millions of dollars to pull this off, and it would not be as convincing as it appears here. One wonders if these stars (that pressnotes state are lifelong friends) didn’t have this concept in mind and planned for it decades ago.
So, yes, for a relatively low-budget movie, it’s staggering on a technical level. As for the performances, the leads are also charming and fun to watch. The high-energy Matt and his absurd ideas are amusing and it’s particularly hilarious to see the character break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience. One can also easily relate to Jay, who has spent a lifetime attempting to reign in his best pal and is tiring of all the work involved. They’re both equally flawed (one plot twist involving a character trying to use the time-travel scenario to his advantage has hilariously dark consequences) and affable. As the story progresses and we get to know the men even more, their attempts to repair their relationship and the message about the sacrifices friends make for each other actually comes off as sweeter than anticipated.
Admittedly, one could suggest that the film could do with even more stunts and interactions with random citizens, and that the climax would have benefitted from a more obvious clicking clock as the pair race to meet a deadline. But these are very minor issues. The characters are entertaining, the scenarios presented are jaw-dropping, and the unexpected time-travel plot offers even more opportunities for laughter. This also feels like a movie that really evokes the atmosphere of the city it is set in. It exudes its Toronto setting and people from the first frame to the last.
Regardless of whether or not the leads land their dream gig, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a certifiable winner and a show worth checking out. It’s one of the most remarkable independent efforts in recent memory and left a big smile on this reviewer’s face.
