Nirvanna makers on stunts, time travel and retooled humour

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol created Nirvanna the Band the Show as a mockumentary about two incorrigible no‑hopers who will do anything to secure a gig at Toronto’s Rivoli despite having no songs. The pair moved the web series to television and, on a lawyer’s advice, added an extra “n” to the band’s name.

Their early antics—smashing a display case at the Royal Ontario Museum, hopping onto subway tracks and other stunts filmed among unwitting members of the public—set the tone for the new film. The big‑screen spin‑off, directed by Johnson, blends the life‑endangering stunts of Jackass, the hidden‑camera comedy of Borat and the plot mechanics of Back to the Future.

Installing a flux capacitor in their RV, the duo zip from 2025 to 2008 to try to change history and secure the Rivoli slot. Johnson calls borrowing another film’s plot “kind of a writing hack,” noting it raises stakes that otherwise wouldn’t exist, and the editing even splices the present‑day pair into footage from 18 years ago to striking effect.

Canada, Toronto

nirvanna, matt johnson, jay mccarrol, rivoli, mockumentary, royal ontario, flux capacitor, time travel, hidden camera, stunts