Writing about “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” posed, for me, a far greater challenge than watching it — and that was challenging enough. A batty comedy that has nothing to do with the actual band Nirvana (the double ’n’ in the name is the tip-off), and contains only a passing glimpse of what might charitably be called a show, this latest collaboration between the Canadian filmmaking hyphenates Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol (Johnson directed, McCarrol composed the score, both wrote the script) is mostly a barely coherent act of self-indulgence. The title’s greatest service, though, is to herald exactly the type of joke we can expect.
We first encounter Matt and Jay (Johnson and McCarrol, playing versions of themselves) in Toronto in 2008, spitballing insane ideas to advertise their band’s show at a revered local theater. The show doesn’t yet exist, but that’s a minor obstacle to the ever-optimistic Matt and his endlessly patient sidekick. Fast-forward 17 years, and little has changed: Matt, dressed in the same fedora and extravagantly wrecked jeans, is still dreaming up harebrained schemes to attract attention for the same imaginary event. Jay, though, appears less enthused; perhaps he’s had enough of their rodent-infested hangout and Matt’s unrelenting clamor. Should he have pursued a solo career?
The question of whether to ditch a long-term friendship that no longer serves your interests is the wistful heart of “Nirvanna,” and is exponentially more interesting than the prankish publicity stunts that scaffold it. These include an admirably well-executed parachute jump from the observation deck of the CN Tower, enacted under the noses of security guards, and an elaborate time-travel plot that allows our heroes to reconnect with their 2008 selves. While much of this is muddled and repetitive, it is also now and then slyly amusing, as when the lads cross paths in 2008 with a string of now-infamous celebrities.
The grown-men-stalled-in-adolescence shtick has been wearing thin for a while now, and all the more so when adopted by artists who are capable of better. Ever since his first feature, “The Dirties,” (2013), Johnson has shown a talent for turning a handmade aesthetic and general lack of finesse into advantages. These attributes worked beautifully in “Operation Avalanche” (2016); and by the time he and McCarrol partnered for “BlackBerry” (2023), Johnson’s rough-edged technique had smoothed somewhat and matured considerably. “Nirvanna” isn’t so much a step down as a look back, a nostalgia piece derived from the pair’s 2007-2009 web series and later television show.
“I was playing the piano a lot and Matt was yelling a lot,” McCarrol says in the press notes, recalling their web series. Not much has changed, then, except that this iteration profits from Jared Raab’s Roomba-like camera, unobtrusively buffing and tidying and teasing clarity from chaos.
Viewed charitably, “Nirvanna” is both a mockumentary and a pensive scan of the road not taken, its pell-mell energy tempered by pathos. Or maybe it’s just two crazy guys crashing around Toronto like jacked-up teenagers. I’ll let you be the judge.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Rated R for disgraced celebrities and don’t-try-at-home stunts. Running time 1 hour 35 min. In theaters.
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