Bo Burnham is known for his ability to marry comedy and music in ways that have never been done before. He’s often current, unapologetic, and brilliant beyond his years, making him one of the great comedic minds of this generation. Inside is, in many ways, what Burham has done for years, as he combines comedy and music to tell a story. Inside was filmed over the course of the past unique and ridiculous year as Burnham spent time all alone in quarantine, and it covers all of the things that the world experienced throughout the course of that year. From politics to Instagram, Burnham pulls no punches in this quarantine comedy special, and the world is able to see him in an entirely new light as a result.
The past sixteen months, in many ways, have sucked. From racial protests to masks, and virtual learning to socially distant holiday events the better part of 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been challenging. Burnham attacks the reality of these trying situations in Inside, but in ways that viewers had never before seen from him. He tasked himself with writing, filming, performing, and editing Inside and being the sole reason that this unique vision came to life. I’ve always loved what Burnham has had to offer because of his originality and how catchy his music typically is. It’s obvious that this special is different from Burnham’s others, but the question is what exactly makes it different? In answering this question it becomes clear what makes the comedy special so incredible and entertaining.
Rather than performing live on stage, Burnham has the opportunity to play with lighting, camera angles, and autotune in his own home, uniquely changing the world’s perspective on what he’s capable of. Ultimately, the combination of each of these things comes as a result of Burnham’s ability recording and editing his content. Inside captures his emotions and the emotions of everyone watching as we all continue to struggle with the dark reality of the world in which we live. This aspect comes as a result of his ability to be playful with his music and the lighting throughout the special. Darkness (both literal and figurative) plays a significant role in how Inside is perceived and appreciated, as the darkness that lingers throughout the course of the special is daunting and harrowing, brilliantly thrusting a level of intensity and distress upon the audience.
Inside, while in the simplest sense, is a comedy special, is almost not funny as a result of the severity of the content that Burnham covers, and honestly, that’s alright. He makes light of the difficulties of the past year--and his life in general--but he makes it clear that these matters are serious and bigger than comedy. I enjoy the fact that he is so introspective in this film and has grown as both a comic and a person. I find myself, whether I agree with his views or not, identifying with Burnham and his plights. I look at him and then at myself, understanding that we were born just two days apart, hearing the things that he’s struggling with and the things that he’s pissed off about and realizing that those things resonate with me. This is a testament not to the fact that our mothers happened to get pregnant at almost exactly the same time, but rather that Burnham knows how to write to and for his viewers. Inside pulls viewers in from the opening moments and refuses to let them go through the dark, murky waters that surround Burnham and his content. As viewers drown in Burnham’s reality, one that mirrors their own, they begin to understand themselves better than ever as he is able to highlight and hone in on both the pros and cons of the world in which we live. Furthermore, Burnham’s aesthetic, ever-changing as it is, is reminiscent of Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) in Cast Away, adding to the brilliant metaphor of loneliness and suffering.
Inside is saddening, not because it’s not entertaining, but because the content is so raw and frustrating. It’s become impossible to escape the harsh realities of COVID-19, politics, and race-related issues since early 2020, and I’m truly tired of hearing about the negatives that surround us, but Burnham finds ways to make me listen. While Burnham is very much in your face at all times, his content is smooth and ironically calming, and hearing about every shitty thing that’s happened over the past year--and his lifetime--is interestingly enjoyable. I appreciated literally every aspect of what Burnham says and does, and I found myself wanting to cry as I felt I was commiserating with his troubles.
Bo Burnham creates a comedy special, in its entirety, that covers everything from the Coronavirus to white women’s Instagrams. There are so many pieces that must come together in order for Inside to work properly, and Burnham never misses a beat, perfectly capitalizing on every aspect of the special. Inside works by itself, and is, itself, genius, but on a bigger scale Inside solidifies Burnham as one of the greatest minds in recent history. I don’t mean one of the greatest comedic minds, I mean, in the grand scheme of things, Burnham is one of the best minds that the world has ever seen.
Written & Directed by Bo Burnham.
Starting Bo Burnham.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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