Brandon’s Entertainment Review

Bo Burnham – Inside
(Netflix Original Comedy)

Love it or hate it, I believe Bo Burnham’s “Inside” on Netflix is one of the best comedy specials of all time.  Bo Burnham: Inside is a comedy special written, directed, filmed, edited by, and starring Bo Burnham. Recorded in his home during the COVID-19 pandemic without a crew or audience.  Who is Bo Burnham?  What started as a young kid making videos on YouTube in 2006, he has been a viral, cult-like, sleeper type of breakthrough into the mainstream.  Burnham has multiple specials from over the years, streaming now on Netflix, but none have received as much recognition and buzz as “Inside” has seen since its release on May 30th, 2021. Part of the allure of “Bo Burnham: Inside” is the unexpected nature of it.  In a year of shows that shed light on our troubled existence in the face of COVID, “Inside” might well be the COVID-iest of all. Written, shot and performed by Burnham over the course of a year from inside a single room, it’s a twisted musical-comedy meditation on isolation, social media and the sociopolitical currents of our time.

This special has been replaying in my mind with all of the earworms and catchy songs.  I’ve watched it at least 4 times as of the writing of this review.  You can also stream the audio version of this special on streaming platforms like Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1e5OlE0EY5fucq6GIU1xi3?si=Y1G-zaGqRoWZ9lxWM_OWQg&dl_branch=1

Please do yourself a favor and watch this special.  Enjoy the awkward moments, cry when you have to, but above all, remember that the human experience is messy, and Bo Burnham puts the human experience from the last year in a beautiful display.