It’s safe to say that most comedy specials follow the same type of structure. It’s a standard taping of a rather famous comedian’s stand-up special, usually in a famous theatre, spiced up with some quick editing or an intro. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s natural that a stand-up comedian’s special would feature them doing stand-up. But comedy specials have never really introduced the world to anything groundbreaking, simply because of its limiting structure. But what if someone completely reinvented the structure of a comedy special, not only delivering great laughs and cinematography, but also a glimpse into his soul? That’s exactly what Bo Burnham did.
Burnham started off by going viral on YouTube for writing and singing various comedic songs. These videos often got tens of millions of views, catapulting him into stardom. In 2013, he wrote, produced, and starred in an MTV sitcom called “Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous,” which was canceled after one season. He had two Netflix stand-up specials (“what.” and “Make Happy”), he wrote and directed the critically-acclaimed 2018 film “Eighth Grade,” and starred opposite Carey Mulligan in the Oscar-winner “Promising Young Woman.” Needless to say, he’s had quite the career.
It seemed like since his “Make Happy” tour in 2016, Burnham has been moving away from comedy. Besides “Eighth Grade,” he’s been relatively quiet; and it seemed, especially with the pandemic, it was unlikely that he was ever going to do comedy again. And then “Inside” (originally “Bo Burnham: Inside”) dropped on Netflix, a brand new special.
“Inside” is a special case. It was written, produced, shot, choreographed, edited, designed, and directed by Burnham. It takes place in a single room, and there isn’t a cast and crew. It’s literally just him. It was all done during the course of the pandemic, when everyone was stuck inside. That’s the theme of the show—what it’s like to create art even while stuck inside a room. The result is one of the most intriguing pieces of media I’ve ever seen; “Inside” is one that will stick with me for an extremely long time.
“Inside” features breathtaking cinematography, produced solely by Burnham. Photo: Netflix, 2021.
Burnham’s comedy has always been a little bit different. Most notably, his use of comedic songs adds something so original to his work. “Inside” almost seems more like a musical to me, with each song actually adding to the natural arc of the special. A comedy special rarely even has a true arc, but “Inside” is about Burnham slowly becoming more depressed and unhinged throughout the course of the pandemic and the making of a special. It’s a loop—he’s depressed because of the draining nature of the special, but the special is based around his depression.
It’s hard to say that this is even a comedy special, because while the comedy is very present, the part where the special really shines is when there’s no comedy at all. I’d say some of the worst songs in the special were “White Woman’s Instagram” and “FaceTime with My Mom.” simply because there was no deeper layer. “White Woman’s Instagram” was poking fun at the silly photos White women post on their social media, but there wasn’t anything other than that. It was funny for a little while, but after almost four minutes, the joke just got old.
“FaceTime with My Mom” is a medley about what it’s like keeping in touch with your parents, but like the previous song, it just seemed overdone. They seemed like songs he made in previous specials, which, while funny, didn’t seem to do anything new. These more comedic songs that you’ve come to expect from a Bo Burnham special were luckily mostly in the first half, before things start to get really intense.
Comedy, depression, and pandemic-living highlight Burnham’s productions. Photo: Netflix, 2021.
The rest of the “Inside’s” songs are pure genius to me. “Welcome to the Internet” describes the dangers of having unlimited access to everything all of the time, in a truly terrifying song that almost seems to have a Disney-villain vibe. My personal favorite, “That Funny Feeling,” shows the bizarreness and irony of the modern age (“A book on getting better, hand delivered by a drone”). Again, it’s terrifying, but in a different way. Less fear, more just sadness about the world.
“Problematic” is less heavy. It discusses some of Burnham’s past jokes that would not be acceptable today. His jokes have always been on the edgier side, and it’s interesting to see him tackle that part of himself. Rarely are comedic songs actual musical works of art, but “Inside” changes that. These songs, both rhythmically and lyrically, are incredible—especially when you take into account that he made them all by himself. The songs are well-written and well-produced; it’s a shame that they’ll be dismissed simply comedic props and not real radio edits.
The thing that I think makes this special, well, special, is the lighting. Each frame of the film is so insanely cinematic and beautiful. In particular, the song “30” has Burnham rotating a modular light around his body, creating an effect that represents the passage of time. “Welcome to the Internet” starts off normally, but as the song becomes more fast-paced and unhinged, the background almost turns into a galaxy, showing the vastness of the digital world. You really have to see it to believe it; but I think the cinematography in this special is some of the best cinematography ever, period.
There’s not much more I can say about Burnham’s latest comedy special. Don’t go in expecting a lighthearted stand-up comedy show, because you’ll come out emotionally and mentally exhausted. We rarely get pieces of art like this, and I’m just thankful that it came out. Because “Inside” is a miracle.
