We went literally years without a mockumentary and now we have two in the span of a month!? Everybody’s doin’ it. And this royal Canadian collection of idiocy, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie immediately put The Moment in its place. Charli XCX, we love you, we worship you, we respect you, but take it from these two hosers – this is how you make a mockumentary.
The secret to a mockumentary, apparently, is embracing the idiocy and letting the camera do all the work. Writer/director/star Matt Johnson (as himself) is the idiot. His job is to sell the idiot plan and let reality have its way with him. And that’s exactly how this film opens. Two struggling Toronto musicians in 2008 have a dream of playing The Rivoli. Jay McCarrol (also as himself) is the talent; Matt is the ideas man. Like most “Ideas Men,” Matt exists with only the faintest appreciation and/or understanding of talent. In Matt’s mind, talent is irrelevant; you just need a hook to get attention. To him, it’s: “Noise noise noise THE RIVOLI noise noise noise RECOGNITION noise noise noise SUPERSTARDOM.”
So, let’s be clear: Matt and Jay are a two-man band. They may or may not have produced some music. [This is unclear.] They do not have a gig at The Rivoli, a Toronto bar/restaurant lounge near SkyDome. And yet … Matt big plan is to take the CN Tower cliffhanger tour, snip the outdoor tethers and parachute into SkyDome during a Blue Jays game. Then noise noise noise THE RIVOLI.
I’m gonna trust that doing this would get you arrested in Canada as well as if you did something similar in the United States, but that is not the fate of our heroes. And you’ll have to watch to see what actually happens. And all I can tell you about from this point on is that you ought to be very familiar with the film Back to the Future. ‘Nuff said.
We know we are watching comedy. We know we are 
watching amateur comedy. Neither of these guys has either the polish or the panache of a professional comedian. But maybe that’s what makes this idiocy work. The last time I saw a film 100% meant for the people of Toronto it was Scott Pilgrim, a better film by just about any measure. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie isn’t going to make me forget Scott Pilgrim is a better film, but both pictures made me want to go watch more episodes of “Kim’s Convenience.”
We live in a world in which idiot dreamers are no longer useless piles of crap; they can be wonderful … they can also be dangerous. Without idiot dreamers, we don’t put men on the moon … but we also don’t have President Trump. I’d take no Trump at the price of moon landing any day of the week, btw. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is an homage to idiot dreamers, both in script and in execution. Personally, I don’t believe in either of you guys, Matt and Jay, but as long as you’re not interested in influencing elections, ideate all you want.
Two Toronto guys named Matt and Jay
Had a band and dreamed of the day
They would both make it big
And book a storied gig
So they started by jumping off the CN Tower and parachuting into SkyDome, whaaaaaa?
Rated R, 100 Minutes
Director: Matt Johnson
Writer: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol, Jared Raab
Genre: Back to the Future, eh
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People who don’t mind idiot plots
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Hosers
