Bradley Cooper shows that there’s more to his directing chops than simply painting himself as a brilliant-but-flawed musician in his new comedy-drama Is This Thing On?, a tale of finding one’s self in middle age packed with humour and authenticity. With longtime friend Will Arnett taking the lead this time, his latest however distinguishes itself in its originality, a portrayal of marriage and divorce that highlights the individual rather than the couple.
Rare are the “divorce films” that conjure up a story that isn’t solely about the central couple, or that don’t plot them against each other in a battle of wits and hate (in 2025 alone, there have been the likes of Jay Roach’s The Roses and Michael Angelo Covino’s Splitsville). Is This Thing On? begins with a suggestion of divorce, of course, but the unfolding of the narrative takes a very different turn, focusing instead on each of their (re)discoveries of their selves when they have been on autopilot for so long. It helps no doubt that the film has a real-life inspiration, that of the British comedian John Bishop and his wife Mel. Here Arnett takes on the role of Bishop as Alex Novak, a middling forty something who together with his wife Tess (Laura Dern) calls it quits one night whilst brushing their teeth. It’s a slightly surreal moment so early on in the film – but then again Alex and Tess are not really a typical couple. Thereafter, Alex moves to a beige bachelor pad while Tess keeps the house, and the two rather amicably begin learning the ins and outs of co-parenting. Cooper beautifully captures the struggles of maintaining separate existences – Tess has an arguably better relationship with Alex’s mother (Christine Ebersole) than Alex does, and the two naturally have friends in common, notably couple Balls (Cooper), a self-obsessed actor, and his wife Christine (Andra Day). Nevertheless, they make it work. While ex-volleyball champion Tess picks up coaching and reconnects with a past she has been trying to forget, Is This Thing On? focuses more so on Alex, who one night drunkenly discovers stand-up comedy completely by chance, taking to the stage to avoid paying the fifteen dollar cover. His first set is vulnerable, on the edge of toe-curling – there is nothing worse than watching someone bomb in front of an audience. And yet, despite the middling first sets, Alex is a natural – he’s certainly got the content for it, anyway. An impending divorce is the stuff of dreams for comedy, and he takes to it like a moth to a flame, discovering a passion outside of family life and a form of therapy that helps him work through a difficult period.
Arnett and Dern are electric together – there is a complicity in his goofiness and in her no-nonsense attitude that makes them truly sympathetic, and their gradual rekindling is a beautiful journey to behold. At just over two hours, there are certainly moments of lag, and scenes that feel a little overdrawn or redundant – a holiday getaway is notable for Alex and Tess, but scenes featuring Christine and her newlywed friends feel inconsequential despite a widening of the social circle. Though Dern is striking as ever, the focus and meat of Is This Thing On? is no doubt Arnett, with his gravelly voice and erratic eyes – watching him onstage, it is easy to forget that he is in fact onscreen, and each comedy club sequence, featuring real comedians including Chloe Radcliffe and James Tom, feels like a little treat. It is a true testament to the power of humour to deal with pain, and an indicator of the behind-the-scenes for comedians, many of whom struggle with complicated mental health conditions. Alex finds solace in laughing about his problems, and a scene in which Tess accidentally walks in on one of his sets is excellent in its emphasis on her ambiguity: she is fuming that her life has been laid out onstage in this way, but as he recounts one of their past arguments, a slight smile appears on her face, remembering the silliness of it. With Is This Thing On? Cooper has created something truly special, a different type of romcom that leans on authenticity, messiness and the importance of individuality within the couple. In other words, he makes it impossible to pick sides, simply because it is not about the divorce, but about two people having to reconnect with themselves to reconnect with each other.
Is This Thing On? screened at the London Film Festival.
