Is This Thing On? is no Maestro, thankfully. From director Bradley Cooper, whose last project was an over-the-top Oscar play that tried too hard in just about every way, Is This Thing On? feels stunningly effortless.
Will Arnett plays Alex, who, going through a divorce, turns to standup comedy. Meanwhile, his complex relationship with his ex, Tess (Laura Dern), gets no less complex.
A comedic drama or a dramatic comedy—no, it’s a comedic drama—Is This Thing On? deals with relatable, deeply emotional issues while also accepting that even anguish and grief can be funny, and that the power of sharing that grief with others—whether a therapist or an anonymous comedy club crowd—can be incredibly healing.
I am divorced and have a great girlfriend, but I also have a healthy relationship with my ex-wife, largely because we have to co-parent a little kid and have her best interests at heart. It was refreshing to see the complexities of a dissolving marriage (with kids) on screen, because such shit is messy, complicated, and sad, but not the inevitable global cataclysm often depicted in film. Marriage Story this is not. Alex and Tess get along, most of the time, and they both care for each other even though they are unhappy together, as a couple. Those are tough emotions to work through.
Arnett, who co-wrote the movie with Cooper and Mark Chappell, makes for a solid lead, delivering a believable performance as a guy just trying to make it all work, whatever the f**k that means. Dern, one of the best actresses out there, is sublime, even if she doesn’t get as much screen time as I would have liked. Interestingly, Peyton Manning also has a small but not-cameo role playing Tess’s love interest; he holds his own.
All together, Is This Thing On? is a grounded, easy-to-consume drama. Unlike Maestro, it seems content running in its lane, existing to tell a good story rather than win awards. To that end, Is This Thing On? Isn’t the funniest comedy, the most powerful drama, or must-see cinema: but it’s the kind of movie audiences say they want more of, whether they show it with their wallets or not.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.