"Bo Burnham. Inside. Forever." What curse have you laid upon him.

Can't believe they got bezos himself to review the special

funny feeling followed by all eyes on me is the strongest musical one two punch I've felt in a long fucking time.

“Let’s start with my favorite part, the visuals” Uh oh

“that funny feeling” fucked me up. i thought my thoughts to the rhythm of that song for a week

More than the special itself, I've just loved watching Bo's evolution. Watching "Inside" then watching "what." or even "Make Happy" it's so clear how much he has matured not just as a performer and creative, but as a person. The nihilistic humour is still there, but he's replaced the bitter cynicism with a much more objective, mellower lens, and I love that.

"Hey Anthony how did you feel watching INSIDE?" Anthony: NOT GOOD

I found it hopeful at the end actually. Because of 2 scenes. 1) Bo watching "It's Bo Yo" on tv. This song is like.. 14 years old. Dated poorly in terms of some jokes. Which he addressed. I think it might be slightly embarrassing, maybe even painful for him. It's also him as a KZfaqr originally. Alone in his room, making stuff, recording himself, having fun. It's the start. What caused him to be famous. Maybe what caused his mental illness and distress. But... 2) Bo watching "Inside" at the end. He smirks. Maybe smiles? I read it as a satisfied grin. He likes doing this. He still finds value and joy in his art, his talent, his craft. I think he's proud of what he can make now. To me, Inside is not just a recknoning of his year spent in lockdown. But a retrospective in his over-a-decade career and also a re-entry into that career. He's been here. He was here. He's coming back.

Can we just talk about All Eyes on Me being a fucking banger?

oh geez he got the bisexual lighting room

There’s one transition that really stuck out to me as a very creative visual trick. In his bit about being a streamer playing the game that is his life, he thanks someone for donating money and turns his camera off because a “cutscene” is happening. Which is something a lot of streamers do so everybody can enjoy the story of whatever game they are playing. But in burnhams case him turning off the camera is also transitioning into the next bit without having to make any cuts or distract the viewer. I thought that was extremely clever.

when are you going to review deez nuts. lmfao got em

Can't stop watching the bar loading behind Anthony's head

The most important question: when are you going to interview Bo on twitch?

I don’t think “Inside” was supposed to be easy to watch. As Anthony said, that’s kind of the point. Being isolated wasn’t easy, so watching someone else go through that shouldn’t be easy either. The irony of this special is that in displaying his loneliness for all to see, he made a lot of people (myself included) feel not alone.

So far, this special has been the only piece of art or media to come out of the pandemic about the pandemic that truly hit me right in my soul. I hope it’ll be looked back on quintessentially for this time in our culture for years to come.

i fucking cried during the scene where he knocked over the light towards the end... 2020 was the worst year of my life. i got a divorce, i worked 6 days a week through the whole pandemic doing a job i hated, i was distant from my band, my family, my friends, dealing with the worst financial struggles i'd ever been through. i had anxiety attacks frequently and my then wife had been unemployed for most of the preceding year so when the pandemic kicked off i was at a major level of stress already. Bo Burnham has really made an impact on me, and this special was very relatable. i loved it and i will listen to "welcome to the internet" probably 100 more times lol.

This rings more as an indie-film rather than a comedy special

People talk a lot about "All Eyes On Me" being their breaking point due to how emotional the performance was, but I keep coming back to "That Funny Feeling" because there's something so profoundly haunting about how he tackles that song. The acoustic guitar with the dead look in his eyes as he lists all those micro absurdities that culminate in an overwhelming sense of apocalyptic dread at the end of each verse is just incredibly terrifying. "The whole world at your fingertips, the ocean at your door. The live-action Lion King, the Pepsi Halftime Show. Twenty-thousand years of this, seven more to go. Carpool Karaoke, Steve Aoki, Logan Paul. A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall." "Total disassociation, fully out your mind. Googling 'derealization', hating what you find. That unapparent summer air in early fall, the quiet comprehending of the ending of it all" I cried at this song, full on bawled. It perfectly illustrates my despair in regards to where the world is going and how utterly powerless I feel watching this unfold. This song is peak millenial doomerism, it encapsulates everything my generation has been trying to avoid through denial and brings back to a recurring theme in the special, which is "should we be joking about this ?" It sets the tone for the end of the special, where all the neuroticism and alienation explored prior to that moment culminates in complete abandonment. "That Funny Feeling" is akin to that moment when you have depression where you start seriously considering suicide because what's the fucking point anymore. Such a heartbreaking moment portrayed brilliantly, it's like asking your friend how he's feeling and they just look up at you with pockets under their eyes and a weak smile as they say "Well, I'm not dead yet, so there's that". In many respects, Inside is very reminiscent of Father John Misty's Pure Comedy, but with actual jokes while being just as depressing and "That Funny Feeling" is the most "Pure Comedy"-esque song in the entire project.

I gotta say, I almost never see such universal praise for anything on the internet like I've seen for Inside. Bo really hit on something special and I feel like even if it's not for some people, they still kinda respect it?

Woo melon’s finally reviewing bo burnham’s insides

Feeling a light depression to a strong anxiety on this one. What are your thoughts, did you love it or did you hate it? -Melon

Anthony, we need to know if you like Bezos I or Bezos II better

Yeah, if you're looking for any kind of escapism, this isn't for you.

not sure if youll see this anthony, but your creativity has been through the roof and its been amazing. keep it up melon

You know the special is good when there's people talking about it instead of the "good review but saying (something rascist you didn't say)" joke

I'm surprised you found it depressing that someone else has been feeling the same way as you over the past year or so. That was super comforting for me, and it made me enjoy the special that much more because of it.

I feel like everyone was either triggered by the special or found catharsis in it. Where you are in processing the trauma of the last year heavily influences your emotional response to it. For me, it was a little too soon. I liked it and some parts really worked for me, but I think other parts hit a little too close to home to be enjoyable right now. Still brilliant though. It will be really interesting to re-watch this in 6 months to a year, because I think it will really hit me differently.

i know a lot of people that felt very uncomfortable and uneasy watching Inside, and honestly i'm glad to see that. more people need to experience media that isn't there just for comfort. Nothing wrong with wanting to watch movies or play games that make you happy, but it's good to sometimes jump into something that takes the wind off your sails and makes you question the things around you

All eyes on me was my favorite song but it also made me break down crying.

"I'd like to watch it again sometime" Me, having watched it 10+ times already:

I really enjoyed pausing the special to read all of the things he had written on the whiteboard and his notebook. my favorite part was where he was pretending to be a twitch streamer playing his own situation inside that room like a video game. it really hit home, because i also cry 4 times a day and do 1 other task.

"i feel like the part when he was saying he wants to commit suicide was a little overproduced"

I was wondering why he looked so different. And then I realized it. He's in 1080p

Inside honestly feels like some of the first "great art" of the 2020s imo. Captured the anxieties of the time really well.

“Facetiming with my mom” has consistently made me teary eyed and emotional every time ive heard. Ive been an expat for about 4-5 years and it just hit so much of the Loving emotions and funny frustrations ive been dealing with for the past years communicating with my family. God Damn thr special is so good

I don't care what anybody else says, I've thought Bo has been fantastic ever since the old youtube video days and with each special/show he puts out he gets better and better. I genuinely think he's a very special person and I'd put him in the genius category, personally. Such a unique and flavorful change of pace each time he does something new and he clearly puts his heart into everything he does.

It is a masterpiece. The pure talent he had on display by doing it all himself is extraordinary. Nevermind the fact that the music ranges from catchy as fuck to absolute S-tier bangers that capture about a billion emotions at once. If people complain that it’s not as funny as his other specials, while that’s true, they have missed the point.

Bo Burnham did something very special here. He captures certain feelings and emotions that a lot artists don't even touch, let alone nail, which is what he did. He absolutely nailed it. He nails the anxiety, hopelessness, and existential dread that the younger generation is facing. He tackles dissociation and derealization caused by modern technology, which is something that resonated a lot with me. Obviously I don't know for sure because because this era of humanity isn't quite over, but I think Inside will be remembered as one of the best Covid-era pieces of art.

Even almost a year later, Look Who's Inside Again, All Eyes On Me, and That Funny Feeling are so poignant and stir so many emotions in me.

I’ve had like 4 breakdowns to “All Eyes On Me” that song hit me so fucking hard.

It looks like Fantano is downloading the entire Weird Al discography in the background

I feel that Inside is Bo's best work by far. I'd go as far to say it is pure genius. I've watched it 4 times now and listened to the songs separately on Spotify a ton. It truly is a perfect period piece.

knowing bo's stuff, even the disheveled moments were probably perfectionist-ly crafted to so perfectly depict what he wanted you to see. the man is an artist in every sense of the word imo.

i LOVE this new setup

It’s kind of crazy I’ve been watching this guy for 10 years

Look who’s inside again as caused me physical tears

As a zoomer, I can confirm that I relate to Bo's existential dread and fear of the upcoming apocalypse, whichever one it may be

I understand the depressing undertones throughout, but was I the only one that found the movie still mostly funny? Maybe for me it is because, as more of an introvert who works alone at home, the pandemic has not ruined, or affected in any significant way, my lifestyle. Still found it relatable though, but that is just a testament of Bo's reach. And contemplative too, just not depressing.

I can imagine it probably feels a little trapping being that all of your work life and media life is recorded and almost "lives" inside of those one or two rooms in your house that you film and edit in. I'd imagine seeing Bo in a similar situation probably wasn't very uplifting but a little too real. Here's to you Anthony, take a break if you need, your health and wellbeing is more important to us than the videos. Cheers 💛

this special made me reflect on the 'performance' of everyday life. bo's been talking about the fakeness/performativity of the comic persona since Art is Dead, but Inside seemed to be more about the need to perform even without a visible audience - bo speaks and sings with the knowledge he is being watched, but without the reward of an audience and laughter. Even his moments of honesty (all-time low, various mental health bits) are performed - and you never know entirely who you are seeing: Bo the comic or bo the man. us living life, as long as we are observed, is in a way a performance to an audience. Scary and interesting stuff

when you said that you needed to take a breather from the special… man, i feel that a whole lot. i’ve seen people mention that they’ve already watched the special like 8 times, but for me it was really hard to watch again for the second or third time. i loved ‘inside’ a lot, watching it just made me feel heavier than i already do

This video was an unexpected surprise, but a welcome one.

All eyes on me really took me to a place emotionally that I had a lot of trouble getting out of, and really everything after that was a continual belch of emotions that have been lying dormant in me for however long. The manifestation of the need for attention, the despair, and the uneasy feeling that it leaves with is so indicative of how I think a lot of us haven't taken the time yet to really think through.

“that funny feeling” i thought was a song that started out like saying really abstract and obscure things and then it just went crashing down emotionally. i have had so many experiences where i’ve looked myself in the eyes and genuinely said “who are you?” because i didnt feel like myself. knowing the things that are happening in the world is absolutely terrifying and seeing things happen so quickly can make you think “how is this shit real this is terrifying” and just make you go into a spiral of derealization. it’s not really talked a lot, and it’s terrifying

While socko was based the song plays its role as the feeling we all got when we realized the government has money to support us but refuses to use it for that. Suddenly budget plans of past years that were gutted because of "lack of funding" felt very disingenuous. The song is not the main theme but merely a part of the craziness we all experienced this past year and while "radical" sure it was something Bo realized and looked into during the beginning of the pandemic like a lot of people did, including myself.

The special is probably the best thing to come out of the year as a result to how awful 2020 was. We needed this and have something to show the effects of isolation and feeling the existential crisis

For me it was like therapy, it was just really amazing to hear someone I look up to talking about the issues I've been dealing with. It dug it back up but it made me feel less bad in the long run

I honestly felt super inspired after watching ‘inside’. It’s definitely depressing but it kind of… I guess, reminded me that we are ALL going through this. It just made me want to make something lol

I feel like I must be in the minority of people who laughed almost continuously through the special. Even a number of the darker moments had an absurd comedy to it. "That Funny Feeling" being the most somber and least funny portion, but very affective in its emotional goal.

bo burnham makes father john misty songs now and even looks like him 😳

Inside is a masterpiece and every single song SLAPS

Bo is a creative genius that impersonates craftsmanship at its finest. It may be true that everything was somewhat raw and simplified to the minimal expression but the way he was able to project himself into every song captivated be and really made me reflect about purpose in life as a whole. Something that I also found interesting was the introspection and meta analysis Bo made about his past and his plans for the future which gave me a better understanding of his persona and feelings towards his passion, comedy.

“When I’m fully irrelevant and totally broken, damn it call me up and tell me a joke” ….hurts..

That Funny Feeling perfectly captured my feelings of terror, despair and frustration watching the world slide lower into hell over the last 5 years, at this point I’m just glad it’ll all be over soon so the suffering can end.

This is easily the best special he has ever done.

Inside was refreshingly amazing!

As a performer, I've always respected and seen Bo as a massively talented artist.. but Inside was the first of his I've ever connected with on a personal level. I've never really got the offensive stuff early on (even though people would say I would LOVE IT), and although I know Make Happy is an unbelievable achievement - I never related to Bo's state of mind, when he was dealing with depression and his own mental health. However Inside was where my pure love&respect for his work and my own life journey intersected and I felt a real, bond in a way.

Don't feel like you owe your audience anything, do what YOU want to do.

I’ve been waiting for you to review this-I kept expecting the album in the Weekly track review

I'd recommend listening to the album he released for it. The songs are catchy and I picked up on stuff without having to get through the harder parts of it again.

This special had a great impact on me as well. When it came out I watched it everyday before and after work for a week, because I hadn’t processed my emotional state for about a year and watching it made my brain reckon with the turmoil my mental health has become. I’m sorry to hear you were affected similarly and I hope the special becomes an outlet for moving forward instead of bringing you back down into that place. All love

why anthony fantano kinda look like the needle drop 😭🤣💀

For some reason Inside reminded me of when Kanye released Ye. The rough edges & rawness, the mental health aspect. It had a similar feel. Especially compared to his last special, which was highly polished and produced.

As a college-aged white guy, _Inside_ satisfied my cravings for a new Father John Misty album

In some ways I found it to be the opposite of depressing. Because even though it carried a lot of dark themes, it made me feel understood with respect to a lot of the thoughts and feelings Ive had over the past year and I think that is a powerful part of art like this-to make people feel not alone in their struggle

I completely agree, I’ve rewatched and relistened to Bo’s discography, specials and youtube videos consistently my whole life and although I unsurprisingly really loved this special I was recently wondering why I haven’t rewatched it yet and it’s because it made me feel like I was in lockdown all over again and I need time to get over this passed year aswell before going back into it.

Let’s agree: Anthony has been saying “in one breath ____ but in another____” a lot lately

Inside is a 10/10 project

fantano hitting us with that bisexual lighting

singing "welcome to the internet" for 11 minutes is not a review melon.

Most people pick up on a lot of the themes from this special but I’m not sure everyone picks up on the point of it, if that makes sense. Yes, most of the ideas can be applied to the last pandemic year but there is so much more that reaches beyond that. I don’t know, I generally agree with the points that you make but I don’t see Inside as a reflection of pandemic life but as a reflection of current life in general. The focus has been on social media, clicks, capitalism, etc. for so long and there is so much wrong with the way most of us think and operate. I could be wrong but I don’t think the point Bo’s message can be boiled down to “oh, life’s been so tough being stuck inside a room bc of the pandemic”. The idea of being “inside” has to do with looking inside oneself, not just being inside of a room.

This was such a well made special, so much thought put in to it. Bo’s such an incredible storyteller.

It makes perfect sense to me hearing someone say that they watched it once and needed a breather, but for me this special has provided this really strange sense of relief. There is so much frustration embedded in those 90-ish minutes, and the whole thing just resonated with me in a way that not many other projects have (and certainly not a comedy special). As far as the music, I was really taken aback by Bo with this one. I think this is really the first batch of songs I've ever heard from Bo that stand on their own as good pieces of music with strong replay value. For me, I think he's done his best vocal work to date here, and with each viewing/listen through the album, I find myself appreciating the sound of "Inside" more and more. Nods to stylistic inspirations and the way he's experimented with his vocal tone here just work really nicely for me. I'm also just a sucker for the recurring motif and full-circle writing in music. Any time someone can tell such a clear narrative story from start to finish with an album, I'm just rapt. Okay, okay, done gushing.

Finally...Melon is now the Internet's busiest movie nerd

I've never cared for Bo Burnham's comedy, he just seemed to be co-opted by fourteen year old quirky kids and I just figured it wouldn't be for me, but something about the completely solo adventure he went on for this special made me interested. I finished the special having felt probably every emotion a human could feel. This is easily one of the best comedy specials I've seen in a while.

Regarding Fantano's feelings coming away from "Inside", I do challenge him to watch it again. He might have missed what I did the first time watching it, which was Bo smiling at the footage at the very end while the crowd went from laughing at him to cheering for him. I missed that and I realized how much of that might have been my own doing and it blew me away that I didn't see it the first time when watching again. I will let you interpret that ending how you want, but it does paint a much more hopeful future.

People have always really connected to Bo. When he came out he was saying insane over the top stuff and we loved it and that generation just connected because we were growing up and really immature just like him. And now all the gen z kiddos are connecting with his depression and anxiety ridden special... because that’s what they always feel. And also his generation is connecting because 2020 has made everyone feel some of that. So yeah. Bo knows how to connect. He’s also a fantastic comic.

It’s a fucking masterpiece. Pain And simple

How do you feel about the claims of it being a masterpiece? I think it's pretty damned stellar, but I've seen that word in particular thrown around a whole lot in regards to the special. I feel that that word being assigned to an artistic work usually only comes with the passing of time, such that it establishes greater context for the piece....but given how severe this past year was for almost every person, I can see why the intensity and emotional power of it in regards to the experience of the pandemic would cause people to use that nomenclature.

i have those same curtains

When u start to look “inside” yourself it can be uncomfortable, stressful and depressing. Maybe some who are feeling uneasy by how the special makes them feel haven’t yet experienced their “inside” yet. Food for thought.

I for one absolutely loved it, and I laughed I cried and I even danced. It was truly incredible.

The “Good News” of Netflix specials

here after the Inside Outtakes. “5 Years”, yet another banger. this project continues to inspire me in new ways over a year later. can’t recall anything else approaching that level of influence over the last few years.

I feel a lot more could have been done with this review. The special needs more than one watch and concluding ‘nice visuals, interesting sonic inspiration, but it made me sad.’ I think this special will be one of the best ways to show someone who asks ‘what was the pandemic like?’ 30 years from now. The internet insanity coupled with the effects of isolation leading to a certain brand of hopelessness is something that runs really deep inside of many of us at this time. The fact that Bo hit that nerve so perfectly and made Anthony face it says a lot about how well written this special is.

I'm always very glad to hear Fantano talk about movies and cinema

I legit shat my pants thinking I did something wrong and this teacher is about to scold me without ever raising his voice.

Thank you! What a perfect review, its exactly how I felt and I just finished watching it 30 mins ago. Definitely felt depress after watching it because its what I was feeling during this pandemic year and also because I can empathize and see the pain and stress that Bo's going through. The last song was pretty emotional especially the state he was in.

I felt great watching this. It contextualized a lot of aspects of lockdown that I didn't experience as an essential worker... I would have loved to be isolated the last year and hearing people complain about not going outside has infuriated me but I understand better now what it's done to people psychologically