Is This Thing On? Review

Is This Thing On? is Bradley Cooper’s third film as a director, this time looking at divorce, relationships and stand-up comedy.

Alex and Tess Novak (Will Arnett and Laura Dern) separate after 20 years of marriage. They need to figure out what to do with their lives now that they are apart. Alex finds an outlet for dealing with his separation when he stumbles upon stand-up comedy.

Bradley Cooper made a splash as a filmmaker with his directorial debut A Star is Born. It earned fantastic reviews, won an Academy Award, was nominated for six more, and showed Lady Gaga could act as well as sing. His follow-up, Maestro, earned seven Oscar nominations, although it was met with some controversy because Cooper wore a prosthetic nose to make him look more like Leonard Bernstein. Is This Thing On? also earned positive reviews, but it’s the first Cooper-directed film not to earn any Oscar nominations.

Cooper’s previous films have explored showbiz and relationships in some way. Is This Thing On? looked at similar subject matter, but it was different because the world the Novaks inhabited was modest. They were regular middle-class people who lived comfortable lives, but far from being rich. Alex’s comedy career was also modest since he was just beginning his career and performing at small clubs in New York: he wasn’t a star who was selling out arenas or performing on national TV.

Stand-up comedy ultimately became a coping mechanism for Alex. He stood up and got to rant about his relationship and life, and he became a part of a small community. Other comedians respected and welcomed him since it took balls to perform in public and tell personal stories, even if his stand-up was rubbish. Artists and creatives can relate to the scenes where Alex was with other comedians since they supported and learned from each other. Alex got a rush from performing stand-up, and it acted as a healthy high.

Is This Thing On? was inspired by John Bishop’s career. The Liverpudlian comedian even had a story credit. Alex’s journey mirrored Bishop’s since they fell into comedy by accident later in life and used comedy as a form of therapy. Alex wore a top saying ‘Liverpool F.C.’, which must have been a nod to Bishop.

The main focus was on relationships. Alex and Tess broke up, but they were amicable for the most part. A spark remained, as shown when Alex and Tess were eating a pot cookie, and Alex nearly took the train home with her. Their break-up wasn’t vicious like in Kramer vs. Kramer or A Marriage Story. Yet there were still issues due to Alex being selfish and impulsive, whilst Tess was resentful because she quit her sporting career to have a family. Their marriage wasn’t the only one on the rocks, since the Novak’s friends, Christine (Andra Day) and Balls (Cooper), were a chalk-and-cheese couple. Christine was the serious one, whilst Balls was an immature man chasing his acting dream. All these characters were underpinned by middle-aged despair since they had regrets, their looks were fading, and they were trying to figure out what to do with this stage in their lives.

Is This Thing On? aimed to be a gentler film, but it led to it being a low-stakes affair. There was little drama or tension beyond the occasional argument. The film’s most frantic sequence in the film was when Alex got offered his first professional gig, and he needed to find someone to look after his sons. There was a sense of urgency that was lacking during the rest of the film.

Cooper reteamed with Matthew Libatique, the cinematographer on A Star is Born and Maestro. For this film, they used a lot of close-ups, giving the audience an intimate feel and allowing them to be a part of the characters’ lives. The intense close-up allowed Arnett and Dern to do a lot of facial acting and show their expression and thoughts changing, like Alex going from nervous and happy when he did his first performance.

Is This Thing On? was a perfectly pleasant film due to the acting and characters, and the craftsmanship can be admired. Yet Is This Thing On? sadly, it had a sense of lacking, which meant it would have no lasting impact.