In 2007, longtime friends Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol created and starred in a comedy web series called “Nirvanna the Band the Show.” This web series lasted until 2009. From 2017-2018, the series returned with two new seasons, this time airing on television through Viceland. Now after eight years, this series has returned — this time in movie form.

The original “Nirvanna the Band the Show”  series followed a fictional band named Nirvanna the Band, with no relation to the legendary grunge band you may be thinking of. The band consists of Matt and Jay who, much like Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol who play them, are longtime friends and creative partners. Every episode of the series focuses on a new hairbrained scheme by Matt and Jay to book a show at a real-life music venue called the Rivoli.

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” written by Johnson and McCarrol and directed by Johnson, follows that same basic premise. The film starts at the beginning of yet another elaborate plan by Matt and Jay, except this time the plan escalates into something even crazier than their plans ever have before: They accidentally time-travel back to 2008.

This movie’s name may come across as intimidating to those unfamiliar with the series, but the film is written in a way that no prior knowledge is required to enjoy it.

The film is primarily a comedy, and it succeeds in that regard with flying colors. Even though there were only 15 people in the theater, the crowd’s laughter matched what would be expected for at least twice as many people.

This movie has an absurdist sense of humor, with many comedic moments that take the viewer by surprise. Every joke feels so original and genuine. The jokes never feel like they’re pandering to what they think their audience’s sense of humor will be, like many modern comedies do. This truly is the embodiment of the sense of humor of Johnson and McCarrol.

This movie is also never scared of being dumb. It embraces the stupidity of its sense of humor, which is perfect because purposefully dumb jokes and absurd jokes go hand in hand.

This film’s stakes are much higher than they are in the series it is based on, yet the movie still allows for random off-topic bits. For example, there is a scene in this film’s third act involving Matt singing that was absolutely hilarious, and the fact that the scene felt so disconnected from the rest of the movie added to its humor and charm, showing how the childlike nature of these characters persists through times of crisis.

Much of this movie’s filming was done in public, with the footage capturing real civilians reacting to Matt and Jay’s antics. With so much of the production being done in public settings, it really makes you wonder how they pulled off certain scenes and stunts, but that feeling of awe and wonder those moments create makes them so much funnier. You can tell the production was going to such great lengths for the silliest, dumbest jokes imaginable.

Johnson’s direction has a unique visual style indicative of the way the series was filmed. It is filmed in a handheld style, as if there is one guy with a camera following Matt and Jay around the entire time. Against all logic, this is shown to be the case within the universe of the film, making this movie a surreal type of mockumentary. This mysterious cameraman is played by the film’s actual cinematographer, Jared Raab.

This film utilized a lot of interesting ideas when it came to the shooting process, as Johnson had to imagine how these scenes would have to be filmed in-universe to comply with its bizarre unexplained meta-aspect. It makes for some fascinating, delightful filmmaking.

This idea that there truly is a guy chasing these goofballs around, filming them in-universe as they engage in these insane hijinks, is another element of this movie that elevates its comedy.

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol both give powerhouse comedic performances. They bring such energy to these roles, injecting the already incredible comedic writing with even more humor, while also bringing a level of heart and sentimentality that suits these roles perfectly.

Specifically, McCarrol’s performance was touching throughout.The acting is just another one of the film’s numerous moving parts that are finely crafted to work in tandem, elevating it from a funny movie to one of the funniest movies ever. Everything described here may just sound like total absurdist comedy, but there is a beautiful beating heart to this film — the friendship of Matt and Jay.

The real-life Matt and Jay go back a long time. They met back in high school and quickly began making stuff with each other. Much like their fictional counterparts portrayed in this movie, they have been making their art together in the same goofy ways they always have been, which is lovingly emphasized by the characters traveling back to a time when the original web series was in production.

With its parallels between the relationship of the real-life Matt and Jay and that of their fictional counterparts, this movie is a tribute to their long-term collaboration and friendship, which culminates in a tear-jerkingly beautiful finale.

This film is comparable to two friends clinking their glasses together and saying “A toast to our friendship.”  It’s a celebration of the wacky, absurd, joyous creations that have sprouted from the friendship of Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol. When a film has a thematic core so heartfelt and poignant alongside being absolutely hilarious, what more could you want out of a movie?