For more than a decade, Matt Johnson has steadily risen through the ranks of independent filmmaking. Beginning with his debut, 2013’s “The Dirties,” the writer-director-producer actor has honed his craft with small budgets, small crews and a seemingly limitless passion for film. His newest project, “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” continues that trend while pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished in guerrilla filmmaking.
Originating as a web series in 2007 and later remade as a television show for Viceland a decade later, “Nirvanna the Band the Show” is a mockumentary comedy co-created by Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol.
The two star as fictionalized versions of themselves, playing musicians in a band named Nirvanna the Band. A film crew follows them as they pursue their singular goal of booking a show at The Rivoli in their hometown of Toronto. Each episode revolves around a new scheme to secure the gig, with plans that inevitably fail before the pair move on to another equally ineffective idea. It is a deceptively simple premise that has not gone stale.
“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” uses the formula of its predecessor series and raises the stakes. The film opens in a format similar to many episodes of the show, with Matt standing at a whiteboard pitching Jay a new plan. This time, the idea escalates into an extended set piece in which the duo attempt to skydive from the CN Tower with the goal of landing inside Rogers Centre during a Toronto Blue Jays game to promote themselves.
For a major studio production, such a sequence would be relatively straightforward — filmed on sound stages or closed-off blocks on location with state-of the-art CGI and millions of dollars. Johnson, working with a modest $5 million budget, approaches it in a guerrilla style. He blends filming without permits on the real CN Tower, hidden cameras, clever visual effects and meticulous editing to construct a scene that leaves the audience wondering how they managed to pull it off. The answer is that nobody stopped them.
As is typical of the series, the stunt fails and sets up the film’s central conflict. Jay has grown disillusioned and is quietly considering leaving the band after nearly 20 years of stagnation. Matt remains obnoxiously optimistic and installs faux time travel equipment in their RV as part of a new plan to pose as time travelers. After he accidentally spills a bottle of Orbitz — a long discontinued novelty drink from the 1990s — onto the equipment, the RV becomes a genuine time machine.
The pair find themselves transported back to 2008 Toronto, and each sees the opportunity very differently. During the film’s press tour, Johnson and McCarrol have half-joked that they are surprised no legal action has been taken against them. Most would assume the risk stemmed from filming without permits or their habit of capturing unsuspecting pedestrians on camera, using their real reactions and interactions to help flesh out the story. The actual reason is far simpler, and it is that “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” is essentially a remake of “Back to the Future.” It makes sense in hindsight.
Throughout the series, Matt and Jay’s actions are heavily informed by their obsession with American pop culture. When placed in the same situation as Marty McFly, it feels only natural that they would follow the blueprint laid out by Robert Zemeckis’ classic film.
Despite its flashy set pieces — including the aforementioned skydive opening and several other comparably inventive sequences — the true heart of the film lies in the relationship between Matt and Jay. As real-life best friends, Johnson and McCarrol’s chemistry is the film’s greatest strength.
While the time travel device produces some funny gags — such as a brief scene where the butterfly effect causes Jay to be the presenter who receives the wrath of Will Smith during the infamous Oscars slap — much of the comedy comes simply from their conversations with each other or with strangers they encounter on the street.
On paper, the film’s plot sounds high-concept and spectacular, but in execution it bows to the whims of guerrilla filmmaking. “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” is regarded as Johnson’s carte blanche following the success of his previous feature “Black- Berry.” Many blank-check features raise the stakes and aim to realize the director’s vision without restrictions. Johnson is unique in that while he aimed to raise the stakes and realize his vision, the result is a goofy, possibly ingenious comedy that manages to impress without taking itself too seriously.