“Is This Thing On” A Thought-Provoking, Well-Acted Drama

Last year’s release “Is This Thing On?” was featured at the Dietrich Theater’s Winter Film Festival a couple months ago and I didn’t get a chance to check it out then like I initially planned. The film premiered as the closing film of the 2025 New York Film Festival on October 10, 2025 before its initial domestic release on December 19, 2025.

As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family - forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.

“Is This Thing On?” is the latest directorial effort from Bradley Cooper, who has also directed the Netflix film “Maestro” and the 2018 remake of “A Star is Born.” Now, while the lead performances from Laura Dern and Will Arnett are really strong and the film does have some emotional depth, the overall pacing can actually be a little bit on the slow side at times.

For the most part, the 2025 film is a heartfelt, thought-provoking comedy-drama that effectively mixes humor with the anxieties of a failing marriage. With the help of Arnett’s and Dern’s performances, the film delivers a raw, intimate, and emotionally complex portrayal of a breaking marriage.

Will Arnett delivers one of his best performances as the vulnerable Alex Kovak, moving away from his typical comedic roles to capture the somewhat "awkward terror” of a middle-aged man undergoing a life crisis. Laura Dern also did a great job with her subtle acting, using quiet emotional moments and small facial expressions to convey a character navigating both pain and new independence. Their on-screen chemistry together, even in the moments where their characters get into some very heated moments, is also one of the major highlights of this comedy-drama.

The comedy stand-up scenes featured throughout the film also helps build a good amount of raw emotion and even a few good laughs from the Alex Kovak character. Rather than presenting polished, joke-heavy routines, the film does an outstanding job depicting the stand-up as a therapeutic, sometimes awkward process for Alex and it

does work really well. The film even includes a few actual stand-up comedians like Chloe Radcliffe, Jordan Jensen and Reggie Conquest (I actually had to Google them since I never heard of them), which helped keep the genuine culture of the New York comedy scene feel grounded.

“Is This Thing On?” has received mostly positive reviews from critics and most audiences, often cited as a more grounded, intimate “palate cleanser” for filmmaker/co-star Bradley Cooper following the Netflix film “Maestro.” The film has been lauded for its heartfelt tone, strong acting, and its realistic, often uncomfortable, exploration of marital decay.

MPA: Rated R for language throughout, sexual references and some drug use   (runtime 121 minutes)

Initial release date: December 19, 2025

Streaming services: Hulu/various PVOD services

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4jx0Xgc_Pc

• This film is based on/inspired by the life story of comedian John Bishop (from Liverpool, UK). Will Arnett met Bishop on a canal boat in Amsterdam. After hearing Bishop explain how he got started in stand-up comedy, Arnett wanted to make his story into a film.

• Alex (Will Arnett) wears a Liverpool FC T-shirt in one scene as a nod to the film being based on the life of John Bishop, a Liverpudlian comedian.

• Bradley Cooper held and operated the camera for most of the coverage that wasn't of himself. Cooper claimed that as an actor-director he desired to be in the middle of the scene interacting with the other actors.

• The first film directed by Bradley Cooper not to receive Oscar nominations.

• The stand-up scenes were filmed at the Comedy Cellar, a real comedy club in New York. Known as the "Harvard of comedy clubs," the likes of Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari, and Jon Stewart began their careers performing there.

• Emily Blunt was originally courted for the lead role but scheduling conflicts with Disclosure Day (2026) prevented her from being in the movie.