Ryan Allan

as a senior in high school and avid fan of bo burnham's stand up work, i decided to check out this movie after reading many reviews to view it with a neutral and unbiased mindset. it comes as no surprise to me that bo burnham would produce a movie with a somewhat depressing but realistic theme, considering the elements of his jokes to provoke a lot of questions about the world and the lives we're living. however, i'm not sure - though middle school is generally an awkward time for everybody - that the overall uncomfortable sensation in the movie was executed properly. it felt like i was sitting here, stiff and discontent for almost the entirety of the movie. the few heartwarming moments felt forced and misplaced and invoked hardly a reaction out of me. the movie didn't often switch pace or surprise me, it seemed to have very slow progress and remained at a low energy for the majority of the time. there is a way you can implement the awkward elements of pre-teen schooling years into a film, while also making it at least entertaining or somewhat relatable. i could see why some aspects of kayla's character can be generally related to (see: social anxiety, stumbling over conversation, lashing out at parents, unpopular in real life and on social media), but overall she was a very bland and uninteresting character with hardly any development to make up for it. bo burnham's comedy and realism is a relief to consume, but it seems that his forte lies in his music and performances, not his movie direction.