One curse that film enthusiasts in the United Kingdom and Europe will never seem to find a solution to is the delay in film release dates compared to their original American releases. Usually, a film is delayed by a month or two, but can you imagine a film struggling to receive a release here in the Uk and being delayed so dramatically?
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a Canadian mockumentary-style comedy written and directed by Matt Johnson. It was released in Canada and the United States on February 14 2026, and with the film already being available digitally around the world, it has finally become accessible here in the big screens.
Back in Canada in 2007, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol created a web series called Nirvanna the Band the Show – and no, it is not about what you think it is. While many would assume it is a biopic about Nirvana, as in Kurt Cobain, the series instead follows Matt and Jay as they attempt to land their band “Nirvanna the Band” a show at what they claim in the prestigious Rivoli. Matt Johnson may already be familiar to some viewers, as he directed and co-wrote BlackBerry which became a critical hit in 2023. He is known for his mockumentary style direction, which is also the style used in this film as well as his directorial debut in cinema The Dirties. Between The Dirties and BlackBerry, Johnson adapted the original web series into a two season television show on Viceland. Although the show was successful, it is now difficult to access legally. Due to Viceland’s discontinuation, a third season was never produced. However, the success of BlackBerry helped Johnson finance this film adaptation, which had originally been pitched back in 2012.
While the film continues the central plot of Matt and Jay executing ludicrous plans to secure a show at the Rivoli, Johnson and McCarrol introduces a time travel subplot. This is where the duo pays homage to Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis.
As someone who has seen and loved both the web series and the television series, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It pays out exactly as I had imagined. Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol writes this film in a way that does not require viewers to have seen the previous shows, with them including a brief flashback to the 2007 web series, introducing the characters and their long standing goal. It also gives the clueless audiences an impression that their plans have failed countless times, as they are still pursuing the same ambition in 2025, which is when the film is set.
As some of you know, Back to the Future is my favourite film of all time, proudly holding the number one spot in my Letterboxd Top Four. Naturally, seeing one of my favourite up and coming filmmakers play tribute to it gives Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie a personal resonance. However, much like Back to the Future, the time travel is not the heart of the story, and that is one of the aspects I appreciated most. Instead, the emotional core lies in the friendship between two parallel characters, whose bond deepens through the chaos and unpredictability of their circumstances.
I also appreciated that the film keeps its time travel rules relatively straightforward. Rather than overcomplicating the concept, it avoids the convoluted logic that often plagues the genre, maintaining the simplicity that defined the original series.
Johnson was not the only one taking on multiple roles during production. Jay McCarrol also composed the film’s score, making it identical with his character the film. His music work also pays tribute to the composition of Alan Silvestri in Back to the Future. I particularly appreciated the nod to the underrated track “Marty’s Letter” which McCarrol reinterprets and uses during some of the film’s heartfelt moments. As a mockumentary, the film relies heavily on handheld camerawork, primarily operated by their collaborator Jared Raab, who also makes an appearance in the film. This approach enhances the realism to their style of filmmaking and shows the difference between the scripted narrative and real world interaction.
It is a real shame that the film took so long to secure distribution across Europe, aside from its screening at the Glasgow Film Festival. It is even more disappointing that the film has only received limited screenings at UK cinema chains. This is a film that truly deserves a much wider release, especially considering the years of dedication Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol have invested in developing this concept since 2007.
While the humour may not appeal to everyone, audiences who enjoy American sitcoms such as The Office, or comedy presented in a mockumentary style, will likely find plenty to appreciate here. Although it is not essential to watch the original series beforehand, I would still personally recommend doing so to fully appreciate the journey while also supporting Johnson and McCarrol’s previous work. It is also worth keeping an eye on their future projects, including Matt Johnson’s upcoming A24 film Tony, for which Jay McCarrol is composing the score as usual.
There are several moments throughout the film that will leave you asking, “Wait, how did they do that?”, which is where you would be indirectly praising Matt Johnson’s inventive direction and the remarkable ambition behind the project. It may have taken long to reach audiences here, but Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie proves that some films are worth the wait – and here’s hoping Matt Johnson’s upcoming Tony doesn’t suffer the same frustrating delays.
