Directors: Bo Burnham, Christopher Storer
Writer: Bo Burnham (comedy)
Star: Bo Burnham
Watch Bo Burnham: Make Happy
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| Bo Burnham: Make Happy - More Youtube than standup. |
This Netflix comedy special is more Youtube video than standup comedy, with Bo Burnham parodying various musical genres with rants and jokes in between.
Verdict:
The beginning is uneven, but his take down of country music was a turning point. He relies on the unexpected and non-sequiturs. The songs are better than the stand up,and once you understand this is like a collection of Youtube videos and less stand up, its very entertaining.
Watch it.
Review:
He opens with a back and forth with the audience, them replying 'yes' before turning on them after asking if they can divide by zero and denouncing them for a Pavlovian response. "I want real answers." he decries. It's clear from the start, this isn't typical stand up.
I was expecting more stand up than music, and the first musical prompt and response quickly became tiresome. The follow up with an edgy take on race and the white male's role in the world didn't impress me. It just doesn't seem like topics that will be funny past the current era, though I don't fault him for that. Socioeconomic commentary is a mainstay of comedy.
This really is a one man show with comedy, music, and songs. There is pre-recorded music, strobes, lights, and smoke machines. His country music bit was stand out. This is parody. A parody of stand up and of music. Once he gets through the first quarter and this becomes a musical parody with monologues to break it up, it's clear music is where he excels. Burnham started on Youtube before making the jump to Comedy Central, though his Youtube channel has long been abandoned.. This feels like a greatest hits Youtube playlist, and he even includes a jump cut joke.
His country music, relationship, and suicide musical bits would all make the rounds on Youtube.
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