A Little Bit of Everything All of the Time

Review: Inside Bo Burnham by Alicja Wladyslawska   

I really enjoyed Inside from the get-go because I've been a fan of Bo Burnham since I was around 11, so I was excited to see his new material. I’ve seen warnings before and had been told it was not light-hearted, which his specials haven't ever really been, but it was very mental health based and quite depressing, especially in the second half. I didn't expect it to be as hard hitting as it got - for an advertised comedy, it got incredibly dark and jarring to watch. 

Inside was beautifully pieced together, with Bo criticizing the media, the government, society and himself throughout his songs and commentary, in a hard hitting and uncomfortable way at times for maximum impact. His use of different music genres, themes and lyrics conveyed the messages he wanted to get across but were so intelligently done that the audience could interpret the songs in multiple different ways and make the special personal to them. 

It was a very interesting insight into Bo's mind: how the recent pandemic affected him, and his views and opinions on the world around him. His cynical yet realistic views are ones held quite openly by some but feel almost controversial on such a large platform, such as criticizing the ultra-rich and the system including the police and law.