Is This Thing On?
Bradley Cooper's "Is This Thing On?" is a a moving romantic dramedy that shows the juice is worth the squeeze – whether that’s creatively or interpersonally.
(Editor’s note: this review originally ran as part of our Heartland Film Festival coverage.)
Between “A Star is Born” (2018), “Maestro” and now “Is This Thing On?,” director Bradley Cooper seems to have a thing for the relationship between an artist and their personal life.
Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess Novak (Laura Dern) are a married couple who’ve been together in some way, shape or form for 26 years. They have two 10-year-old “Irish Twin” sons (Blake Kane, Calvin Knegten), two dogs and a nice house in the suburbs outside New York City. They’re also on the precipice of an amicable divorce.
Alex works in finance and Tess was a professional volleyball player who’s looking to make a move to coaching. One night when on their way home (to their respective places – Alex has moved into an apartment in the city) from a “last hurrah” party hosted by their married friends Arnie aka Balls (Cooper) and Christine (Andra Day), Tess and Alex share a weed cookie that she stole from Christine in the subway.
Tess heads home to suburbs. Alex, unwilling to retire to his sad sack divorced dad apartment, ducks into a comedy club. Unwilling to pay the $15 cover, he agrees to perform at open mic. He’s a natural and he’s hooked.
“Is This Thing On?” is loosely based on the experiences of British comedian John Bishop. The script by Arnett, Mark Chappell (“See How They Run”) and Cooper from a story by Arnett, Bishop and Chappell is simultaneously very funny and very sad. You can clearly see what attracted these two to each other in the first place and what drove them apart. You also get insight into how Alex’s standup serves as a therapy of sorts.
Arnett (looking like himself, but also like he went through the telepod from “The Fly” (1986) alongside Cooper and Dennis Quaid) and Dern both give beautiful, nuanced performances and have a winning chemistry with one another. They’re strongly supported by Ciarán Hinds and especially the hilarious Christine Ebersole, who play Alex’s parents. A certain famed Indianapolis athlete also has an entertaining cameo/supporting role.
“Is This Thing On?” doesn’t quite hit the heights of “A Star is Born,” but it’s a vast improvement over “Maestro.” It’s another lovingly-shot New York movie from cinematographer Matthew Libatique (reteaming with Cooper for the third time) in 2025 after “Highest 2 Lowest” and “Caught Stealing.” It’s also a moving romantic dramedy that shows the juice is worth the squeeze – whether that’s creatively or interpersonally.