‘Is This Thing On?’: Bradley Cooper Plays a Familiar Tune in a Minor Key
For his third feature, the director chooses a smaller, more intimate lens for a story of artistic expression and unsteady marriages.
Bradley Cooper, despite all his success, is likely experiencing the tricky fallout of making a tremendous debut only to have then people, you know, expect things from you. I’m not sure if the massive acclaim for A Star Is Born took Cooper by surprise, but he certainly took it as a license to go much grander in his follow-up, the Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro. Filmmakers can fall into a trap where they think the only way to top their past success is by going bigger. Thankfully, Cooper chooses a different direction for his third feature, Is This Thing On?, while still telling a story about the tension inherent in artistic expression. But where A Star Is Born and Maestro weighed out marriage as ultimately irreconcilable with artistic expression, Is This Thing On? takes a more optimistic approach, arguing that artistry can heal a growing rift. It doesn’t have quite the impact of A Star Is Born, but it also doesn’t feel like a complete retread of Cooper’s earlier themes.
Loosely based on the true story of British comedian John Bishop, the film follows Alex Novak (Will Arnett), whose marriage with Tess (Laura Dern) is winding down. They’ve decided to separate amicably, even though it’s clear that the split is gnawing at Alex and sending him into a depressive spiral. One night, while looking just to get a drink but without any cash on hand, he discovers he can bypass the cover charge if he performs some standup. Rather than try to tell jokes, Alex starts relaying what’s happening in his life, and the audience responds. Becoming further entrenched with the New York comedy scene, Alex discovers not only a surprising renewal in his energy but an unexpected rekindling of his chemistry with Tess.
For both Cooper and Arnett, Is This Thing On? allows them to somewhat return to familiar ground (Cooper, his first two movies, Arnett, the sadness of his animated character BoJack Horseman), but with enough that feels fresh and distinctive that it doesn’t feel like playing the hits. For Cooper in particular, he appears willing to poke fun at the careerism that can overshadow any kind of artistic expression by playing Alex’s friend, Balls. Balls is an actor who keeps trying to push his way to the center of what he’s performing in, desperate for attention and ignoring the needs of his wife, Christine (Andra Day).
