by Robert Scocchi
| Published
I was first introduced to Bo Burnham's comedy when I stumbled upon his 2013 Netflix comedy special, What.and I had mixed feelings about it after my first viewing. I distinctly remember turning to my wife and saying, “This kid has a lot of talent, and he's funny, but he's never going to do anything really profound until life knocks him down a little.” I was pleasantly surprised when COVID-19 lockdowns forced the isolated and isolated Bo Burnham to self-produce what I consider to be his best work as of this writing: 2021 Bo Burnham: Inside.
While I always approached Burnham's comedy (even in his early… YouTube Content) With wary enthusiasm due to the level of immaturity you would expect from a young artist struggling to cope with his meteoric rise to fame, I observed his career from a safe distance knowing he was destined for greatness. I felt inside that Bo Burnham was a raw nerve waiting for the right stimuli (or lack thereof) to push him into the dark territory that inside Exploring the gorge, it turns out I was right.
I also felt a great deal of guilt for being happy about the fulfillment of my prophecy, because it would mean that a real person would have to wrestle with their personal demons on Earth in order to create their magnum opus.
Internal setting
Bo Burnham has always had a complicated relationship with the Internet, his audiences, parasocial relationships, his creative process, and, most importantly, himself. Bo Burnham: Inside He fearlessly addresses all of these concerns while also forcing the audience to feel the same level of discomfort that eventually led him to step away from performing comedy entirely in 2016 following the release of his film. Make happy private.
Pick up right where Make happy I stopped, Bo Burnham: Inside He takes us back to the guest house where he took refuge at the end of his penultimate special, but this time he is ready to start performing again. The only problem is that there's nowhere for him to perform, because he's trapped inside, as the title suggests.
Low brow but high concept
The entire film takes place in a guest house filled with cameras, laptops, light bulbs, and an unimaginable amount of existential dread. Bo Burnham: inside Not traditional Special comedybut rather an uneasy exploration of the creative process, the pursuit of perfection, the dark side of fame, self-imposed (and government-mandated) isolation, and a satirical pop take on Jeff Bezos that makes you want to clap between bouts of sobbing.
Eerily catchy tunes are found underneath Bo Burnham: Insidethe inner workings of the madman are revealed through Burnham's colorful songs about FaceTiming with his mother, sexting with his girlfriend as our communication devices replace physical relationships, huge media conglomerates profiting off of our addiction to the Internet, and the idea that as a society we are more connected to society than But we're also the most isolated ever.
Comes around full circle
Between every skit, song and existential exploration exists in insideBo Burnham pulls back the curtain by showing his behind-the-scenes process. After achieving what she believes is a perfect performance, there are several jarring transitions that end with Burnham sitting alone at his computer and scrutinizing his work before saying “one more” and preparing to reshoot the entire part from scratch. As weeks turn into months, Burnham's hair and beard grow to unmanageable lengths, which he addresses by telling the audience that he booked a haircut that was cancelled.
Any Bo Burnham fan will tell you that they are familiar with the backstory that led to the creation of this film insidebut that doesn't stop the 30-year-old comedian from breaking into his most confessional composition, “All Eyes On Me.”
Lowering his voice several octaves in order to capture the full extent of his grief as he sings over a peppy riff, Burnham reveals through laughter and canned applause that he stopped performing because he was having severe panic attacks on stage during his last tour. Revealing that he worked on his mental health during his five-year absence from performing, he looks into the camera and says that as he prepared to put himself out there again “the funny thing happened…”
It's all a little bit
For full enjoyment Bo Burnham: Inside, You must acknowledge that the entire special program is scripted and meticulously planned down to the smallest detail. Although there's no doubt in my mind that Burnham spent more time alone than he probably should have putting together this special that certainly came from the dark recesses of his imagination, he still plays a fictionalized, exaggerated version of his character on stage.
If you want an intimate look into the creative process of a solitary perfectionist, Bo Burnham: Inside The next comedy special you put in your queue should be on Netflix. And if you don't believe me when I say this is all an act, Inside Excerptsalso My neighbor On Netflix, it's the perfect companion piece to tell you that “everything's going to be okay.”
