As their marriage unravels, Alex faces middle age and divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene. Meanwhile, his wife Tess confronts sacrifices made for their family, forcing them to navigate co-parenting and identities.

Shame on me for thinking Bradley Cooper’s success directing (and starring in) A Star is Born was a one-off. Turns out, he’s quite the sensitive, deft director who can make subtle, quietly funny relationship movies! And that is what we get with Is This Thing On, starring an equally subtle and quietly funny, but also angsty, Will Arnett. Husband to Laura Dern’s character Tess, Will plays Alex, a middle-aged New Yorker facing a divorce and dissatisfaction with his life.  On a lark, actually to not pay for a cover fee at a bar, he tries stand-up comedy.  The story line is not revolutionary – it’s a common-enough theme about a man facing a midlife crisis and a marriage at a breaking point. So why bother watching this familiar story?

Because despite the stale storyline, Is This Thing On brings something new to the genre.  The story might be simple but the characters are complex and I really enjoyed this movie. The light but loving touch with which Alex’s multi-faceted character is revealed adds to the nuanced movie where everyone has their flaws and no one is perfect. Will Arnett is great at playing Alex, a fledgling stand-up comedian just learning to be funny.  Which can’t be easy for someone who’s funny, I’d imagine. Laura Dern is Laura Dern-ing and is a good, exasperated counterpart to Alex’s cluelessness. And as for the ending, let’s just say it’s not necessarily your typical Hollywood ending and leave it at that.

Barndi’s grade: B

One thing about co-writer/director Bradley Cooper that has become somewhat surprising is that whatever his latest film is, it probably looks nothing like his previous one. The only thing Is This Thing On has in common with 2018’s A Star is Born or 2023’s Maestro, is that it features two strong lead performances (which is for the first time, not him, though he does pop in for a supporting turn). Less a film about a middle-aged guy finding a new passion in stand-up comedy, than it is about a couple navigating their divorce.

Will Arnett (who also co-wrote with Cooper and Mark Chappell) puts all his sad-sack energy into Alex Novak, who uses his crumbling marriage as fodder for his stand-up, a new venture he kind of falls into when he doesn’t want to pay the cover at a bar one night. Laura Dern is his soon-to-be ex-wife Tess, a former volleyball superstar who resents only being fulfilled by being a wife and mother to their two boys (Blake Kane and Calvin Knegten, who are great finds). As with most movies about stand-up, the comedy isn’t as funny as it should be for as happy as the crowd is reacting, which is a shame, because Arnett sells all his material, from the first stream of consciousness routine to the frustrated vent of last one. Dern is also great with a character that could’ve devolved into a tired stereotype. And there some nice turns from Christine Ebersole, Ciaran Hinds, Andra Day and Jordan Jensen (an actual stand-up in real life!).

It is nice to see a story tackling the dissolution of a relationship that doesn’t rely on the two sides hating each other and fighting at every turn. The friendship the characters have, and their ability to fall into co-parenting as easily as possible was actually the most endearing thing about the movie. The rest of it is fine.

Jonathan’s grade – B-