Nimrods review – Green Day’s early years inspire teenage kicks in amiable punk road movie

The Guardian Culture published a review on 11 August 2026 of Nimrods, an amiable road-movie comedy that draws direct inspiration from the early years of San Francisco’s pop-punk pioneers, Green Day. Written and directed by Lee Kirk, the film mirrors the band’s own youthful rowdy escapades, capturing the essence of driving around in a van, tired, hungry, and out of money.

The narrative follows three 17-year-old musicians from Kansas City who form the band Analog Dogs. Tommy, Fred, and Chad, portrayed by Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, and Ryan Foust, are pranked into believing their demo cassette has been heard by their ageing idols. This misunderstanding sends them on a chaotic journey west to Los Angeles, with the goal of opening for Green Day at the Hollywood Palladium on New Year’s Eve.

The film is characterised as more pop than punk, possessing a fundamentally sweet and puppyish tone. While the teenage leads indulge in Superbad-style smutty banter, attempts to buy booze, steal cars, take magic mushrooms, and engage in mud fights, the story remains a fundamentally decent tale of dreaming big and following one’s heart.

The soundtrack is dominated by Green Day, accounting for approximately 98 per cent of the music, providing a soundtrack that is noted for its bounce despite being somewhat one-note. The adult cast features comedy professionals such as Fred Armisen and Bobby Lee, alongside Jenna Fischer, who delivers a perfectly pitched turn as Tommy’s mother and is identified as Kirk’s wife.

The review concludes that while the script is unsophisticated, it is enjoyably performed, with the teenage cast carrying the weight of the film. Thames, Coffman, and Foust are described as fun to hang out with for the duration of the movie, successfully embodying the spirit of the scrappy band desperate to meet their idols.