Bo Burnham: what. (2013)

Number Rolled: 39

Movie Name/Year: Bo Burnham: what. (2013)

Tagline: what.

Genre: Stand-Up Comedy

Length: 60 minutes

Rating: TV-MA

Production Companies: 3 Arts Entertainment, Attic Bedroom, New Wave Entertainment Television

Producer: Dave Becky, Bo Burnham, Jay Chapman, Douglas Edley, Cisco Henson, Chris Scanlon, Brian Volk-Weiss

Director: Bo Burnham, Christopher Storer

Writer: Bo Burnham

Actors: Bo Burnham

Blurb from Netflix: Left brain and right brain duke it out -- and ultimately belt out a melody -- in stand-up comedian Bo Burnham’s quick and clever one-man show.

Selina’s Point of View:

Well, Cat and I discussed the possibility of adding stand-up comedy to our queue, and decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it out. Netflix has a lot of great movies, but they have a hell of a lot of great stand-up comedy as well.

Since our decision, we’ve been adding some stand-up to our queue in the hopes that we would roll it. We started adding it roughly four months ago.

The dice can be fickle.

That being said, I couldn’t have been happier with the selection we rolled for our first step into the genre. Bo Burnham (Funny People, American Virgin, Bo Burnham: Words Words Words) is one of my favorite comedians. You can see how greats like George Carlin (Jersey Girl, Dogma, Scary Movie 3) and comedians like Stephen Lynch (The Ten, Comedy Central Presents, An Evening with Stephen Lynch) may have influenced his work.

Burnham is musical comedian. He does some funny poetry and some basic stand-up, but it’s mostly music.

I first saw what. when it came out in 2013. It’s not my favorite of Burnham’s specials, but it’s got some very good songs in it – several of which I have on my iTunes playlist. The songs range from ridiculously silly to subtly political to amusing social commentary – all of which are very much his thing.

My one issue with this particular special is the intro.

The intro is meant to be silly and random, and it is, but I don’t find it funny or necessary. In fact, I find the intro to be way too long, tedious, and boring. After that, the show picks up significantly and by the end I’m always glued to the TV.

I can’t wait to see the new Bo Burnham special that Netflix put up: Make Happy (2016).

Cat’s Point of View:

To quote one of my favorite lines from Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974): “And now for something completely different!”

Netflix sports comedy specials in addition to its other movie, television, and original content fare. Why not, right?

I’ll admit, I haven’t had a lot of exposure to Bo Burnham (Hall Pass, Adventures in the Sin Bin, Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous) before. Though he appeared vaguely familiar to me; after looking through his IMDb credits, I’m not sure what I recognize him from.

Perhaps he reminds me a little of a clean-shaven Felix Kjellberg (Let's Animate, Tomorrowland, Scare PewDiePie). In any case, moving along.

One thing is undeniable about this particular comedian – he’s exceptionally talented. He can play the piano, sings, and has an excellent understanding of lyrical timing. The latter, I’m sure, helps him with the comedy aspect, as well.

I enjoyed this performance. I feel I have to admit, however, I wasn’t laughing until I cried or couldn’t breathe. (Those things have been known to happen.) That could partially be attributed to the fact I’m currently a bit under the weather, so some things are falling a bit more flat to me than they might otherwise. I did get some really good laughs, though.

Caution to parents: this comedy show isn’t for kids. There’s language and adult content.

All in all, I’m interested to see what else Burnham might have in store for audiences. I noticed that Netflix has added another of his specials recently. I’m definitely game for checking it out.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – N/A

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – N/A

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

The Random Rating: R

Movie Trailer: