Nirvanna: The Band, The Show, The Movie Blu-ray Review

I’ll be open upfront – I had never heard of Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol prior to watching this movie. What I can takeaway from Nirvanna is that these two can write a friendship like few others.

More than chemistry, it’s as if these two have been locked into shared creativity for decades (and looking them up, that’s true). Their guts and knowledge as to how to stage a gag is marvelous. At their best, Matt and Jay are hysterically funny guys.

Nirvanna is certainly of the YouTube generation, but the fun one

Nirvanna is certainly of the YouTube generation, but the fun one, not the “enraged about everything with a screaming thumbnail” later YouTube generation. There’s a kind of throwback quality to this production that, when dealing in time travel back to the far off year of 2008, feels welcoming and warm. The same goes for the story about two people at a crossroads, whose loyalties to each other have hit a breaking point.

At 100-minutes, Nirvanna feels like a YouTube show. It’s as if the team were stuck between movie pacing and their original style. A lot of the extra footage on the Blu-ray is engaging because it’s more grounded. The live stunts have better setup, whereas in the finished movie, these things simply happen via editing. It’s too fast in establishing context, and loses the surprise of doing all of this rogue on the streets.

But it’s still funny. The tale these two live, their existence draped in pop culture paraphernalia, is boldly creative. It’s a theory that a younger generation veers toward YouTube for its creative ambition compared to tightly wound corporate entertainment (modern algorithmic addiction aside, although that’s admittedly a big aside). Nirvanna has that spirit. There’s no fear as Matt and Jay face down actual security in actual locations, and it’s a miss not to have more of this because they’re professional grade improv artists.

That said, their storytelling skills are exemplary and their characters have a natural bond. It’s impossible not to appreciate these two, a perfect comedy duo of the excitable one and the rational one, in a constant duel for common sense that’s never leads to anything other than acceptance of who the other one is. That’s what we all need more of.

Mostly shot rogue, this isn’t non-stop visual splendor. It’s a little noisy, the resolution isn’t the best (at times SD quality, with purpose), and the definition sags. There is clarity though, and when possible, detail escapes. If nothing else, the Blu-ray presentation isn’t adding to any issues with the source material. Banding in the SD sequences is part of the source.

Everything is passable, usually clean. Color runs a touch and can bleed, albeit slightly. Mostly, it’s natural, with nice (even bold) primaries and accurate flesh tones.

The DTS-HD 5.1 track is fine, with some separation between channels. Mostly, it’s the score that’s spreading outward, with dialog tight in the center. City streets provide ambiance in the rears. Some brief concert scenes have energy too, but it’s never impressively bold, which makes sense considering the material.

Stars/writers Matt Johnson (also the director) and Jay McCarrol provide one of the commentaries. The second is McCarrol and the production team. An alternate opening, animatics, featurette on the show, home movies, a podcast episode, and a post-credit scene round out the other bonuses.

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.