If you live in Toronto, chances are you’ve heard of director Matt Johnson or maybe even spotted him at a local screening, since film lovers in the city tend to run in the same circles. Johnson first gained attention with his debut The Dirties (2013), followed by Operation Avalanche (2016). In 2023, he co-wrote (with Matthew Miller), directed, and starred in BlackBerry, a critically acclaimed film featuring Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton in the lead roles.

But Johnson’s path to this moment really began earlier, through a two-step process. First came Nirvana the Band the Show, a web series that ran from 2007 to 2009. The premise was simple but absurd: Johnson and his friend Jay McCarrol, playing fictionalized versions of themselves, staged increasingly ridiculous publicity stunts around Toronto in an attempt to book a gig at the Rivoli. Despite never writing a song, recording music, or even contacting the Rivoli’s management.

The cult series was revived in 2017–2018 on Viceland under the slightly altered title Nirvanna the Band the Show (with an extra “n”), keeping the same premise. And now, following its premiere at SXSW earlier this year and as the opening film of TIFF’s Midnight Madness program, Johnson and McCarrol are bringing it back yet again this time as Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.

I should note up front that I came into Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie without having seen a single minute of the web series or Viceland revival. But it honestly doesn’t matter as the film stands on its own, and you never feel like you need the backstory to get the joke.

The central stunt Johnson and McCarrol attempt this time is parachuting into the Skydome (technically the Rogers Centre, but let’s be real, no one calls it that). One of the first stops on their misguided mission is the Canadian Tire at Yonge and Dundas, the first of many Toronto landmarks that dot the film. If you’re a Torontonian, you’ll recognize plenty of these local touches, right down to a raccoon encounter.

It’s in that Canadian Tire scene where the duo try to buy bolt cutters so they can cut themselves away from the rope during the CN Tower’s EdgeWalk before skydiving into the dome. It is when one of the movie’s funniest lines lands. A sales associate, unmoved by the insanity of their plan, shrugs: “You have the freedom to do this. I’m a libertarian.”

Much of the rest of the plot is lifted almost wholesale from Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future. Johnson leans into the parody outright. At one point, the characters literally watch Back to the Future on VHS, somehow get their hands on a Flux Capacitor, and then discover that the long-defunct ’90s Canadian soft drink Orbitz is the secret fuel source for time travel.

From there, they end up blasting back to 2008 in an RV, where the film has fun with small period details like the cultural dominance of The Dark Knight alongside reminders of figures who were still in the news for very different reasons than they would be later. These include Jian Ghomeshi, Jared Fogle, and Bill Cosby. Perhaps it’s meant as a subtle reminder that memory is selective and not everything from the past is worth revisiting.

I won’t go too deep into the rest of the plot, but much like the original Back to the Future, something inevitably goes wrong that threatens the future, and it’s up to the protagonists to set things right.

For pop culture aficionados, the film is packed with references. Johnson even dips into video game culture, with nods to GoldenEye 007 on the N64, Chrono Trigger on the SNES, and even Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World. It’s these little touches that kept me engaged.

At just about 100 minutes, the film runs at exactly the right length and should play well at TIFF. For Toronto locals, it’s an especially fun curiosity whether you’re nostalgic for the original show or simply eager to watch Johnson and McCarrol riff their way through another absurd adventure.

All images via Elevation Pictures.

Directed by Matt Johnson
Screenplay by Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol, from their web show Nirvana the Band the Show and their television show Nirvanna the Band the Show
Produced by Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson
Starring Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
Premiere Date: March 9, 2025 (South by Southwest)
Running Time: 98 minutes

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