Movie review
February 2, 2026 · 100 min · R · Sci-Fi · Comedy · Adventure
Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol play fictional versions of themselves, two Toronto friends who still want to book a show at the Rivoli. Matt keeps inventing huge and dangerous plans, while Jay grows tired of chasing a dream that never moves forward. A failed attempt to jump from the CN Tower leads them to build a fake time machine in their RV. The machine works by accident and sends them back to 2008, where they meet younger versions of themselves and damage their own future. The movie uses mockumentary jokes, hidden cameras, fast cuts, time travel, and a warm but wild tone. The film puts two white men at the center, while women and people of color appear mainly in small parts. One ticket scam has white characters pretend to be Chinese with help from Ethan, an Asian friend, and the joke makes their lie look foolish. An old movie clip includes a homophobic insult, and the film also uses blunt jokes about race, celebrity scandals, and mental health. The main story stays focused on friendship, aging, honest talk, creative work, and the choice between chasing fame and accepting a simpler life.
Community feedback
Was our 5% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.
Woke representation / casting
Not present. The film centers on two white Canadian men, and its women and people of color are mostly in small supporting or background roles. The casting does not create an identity-first message.
0%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The film has crude jokes and pop-culture lines, but it does not give modern speeches about identity, gender, DEI, or activism.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Not present. The story follows friendship, fame, aging, and failed plans. Its brief race-based scam and old movie clip are jokes inside the adventure, not a modern identity message.
0%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The movie mocks celebrity culture, private ticket access, corporate branding, and the media circus around a shooting. Those jokes do not form a modern activist attack on Western institutions, family life, religion, or gender roles.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
The film continues the earlier web and TV series with the same Matt and Jay characters. The creators removed the earlier series’ racist jokes, accents, and homophobic insults from the new film, apart from one insult inside a clip from The Hangover. This changes the source material’s humor, but it does not change the characters or their roles.
12%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Not present. The available discussion praises the film or debates its strange humor, risky stunts, copyright jokes, and small-budget style. No sustained complaint says that the film pushes woke, DEI, or identity-politics content, and the supplied X pass reports no genuine anti-woke complaints.
0%
Creator track record context
The director Matt Johnson has a low woke score and is mainly known for satire and support for new Canadian filmmakers. Creator Jay McCarrol, the listed writers, and most producers also have low scores or no recorded activist pattern. Producer Victoria Lean has a higher score because of issue-focused social and environmental documentaries, but that work is not part of this film’s story.
12%
Production
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