Director: Bo Burnham and Christopher Storer
Written by Bo Burnham
Release Date: 18 December 2013
Running Time: 60 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not rated, but leave the kids at home.
Editor’s Rating: 4 out of 4 worlds on fire


You know, I’ve been editing this page for almost a year now. How have I not actually done any stand-up comedy reviews? It’s kind of silly, really. Sure, they’re not feature-length, but I’d be willing to say that about half of the people who starred in these movies I reviewed have had these things at some point. Legendary rants, legendary stand-ups. And today, I’m pretty sure I’m bringing you a stand-up show that will be remembered just the same.

Bo Burnham, as described to me by Pandora, called him a mix of Sarah Silverman and Ben Folds. That was enough to get me listening to him regularly. After listening to his stuff and doing a bit more research on the guy, I found out that while that might have been a decent selling point, it was still really underselling him. That’s when I found what. It’s a special he released for free in 2013 in its entirety. I found it on YouTube, and I just gotta say, I laughed my buttocks off.

Bo has an incredibly smart and developed sense of humor that is generously smattered with filth and butt jokes. He’s quick, incredibly so, and sometimes does not give the audience time to catch up. But when he sings, it’s a different story. His speed is still the same, but putting the comedy to meter and notes makes it easier to follow, and still as hilarious.

what. by itself is a great show. But there’s a technical aspect to the show that brings it all together. How many comics have you seen write a two-second song about how stage movement is awkward? There’s also a manic choreography here that’s ridiculously appealing and fun to watch. Bo isn’t just a master of his comedy, he’s a master of himself. He’s a great actor, and a lot of this act displays it. At least half of the show is performing to material he’s already recorded, something I’d expect to hate a comedy show and complain because it belongs in an industrial concert or something. But he makes it work, so much so that at the end of his performance, I was ready for the next show right then.

Bo’s currently on tour right now, but I can’t wait until he’s back with new material, because he’s certainly made a fan out of me.

**what. is available to watch for free on Bo’s YouTube channel. I highly recommend you check it out. I was not compensated for this review.**