![\"Is](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/is_this_poster.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Is This Thing On? is a good old-fashioned character
\nstudy: a slice-of-life drama about a man who rediscovers himself after having
\nfallen into a lifeless rut. It’s the kind of thing that most people can relate
\nto on some level, and director Bradley Cooper (with a script credited to
\nCooper, star Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell) brings it to the screen with a
\nminimum of manipulation and sentimentality. There are no grand
\nswing-for-the-fence moments or scenes designed to wrench tears from even the
\ndriest eyes in the theater. Indeed, Cooper goes out of his way to remain
\nlow-key in his approach to the material, giving it maximum realism, albeit at
\nthe expense of emotional engagement. It’s not that one doesn’t feel for the
\ncharacters in Is This Thing On?, but one can reasonably question the
\ndepth of that feeling. <\/p>\n
Will Arnett, who plays the lead character Alex Novak, falls
\ninto the “revelation” category here. Like most people attending this
\nfilm, I recognized him primarily for his comedic television work. I was more
\nthan a little surprised at his depth and breadth as a dramatic actor. He nails
\nAlex not only when he’s doing stand-up but in the quiet moments of boredom,
\nsurprise, sadness, and joy when he’s not on stage. I don’t know whether there’s
\nany buzz about Arnett getting Oscar attention for this performance, but it’s
\ncertainly warranted. <\/p>\n
The movie begins with a break-up. It’s an amicable one, with
\nAlex and his wife, Tess (Laura Dern), simply deciding that it’s best for
\neveryone if they go their separate ways. With little fanfare and no real drama,
\nhe moves out and they adjust. One night, he finds himself outside of a bar
\nwithout the money to pay the cover charge, but he learns that if he signs up to
\nperform (it’s a comedy club), he can get in for free. His first time on stage
\nisn’t a rousing success, but Alex gets bitten by the performance bug. Soon,
\nhe’s addicted and fully immersed in the culture. It’s only a matter of time
\nbefore he moves to a bigger venue and his secret gets out of the bag.<\/p>\n
Cooper has fun with the “revelation” scene. He
\nmakes sure the audience can see it coming from a mile away so we can enjoy the
\nbuild-up to the moment. It’s perhaps the only time in the film when he milks
\nanything. A lot of what happens afterward is expected, but there are some
\ndelightful moments, and thankfully we don’t end up stuck in some weepy
\nmelodrama where Alex’s single post-separation indiscretion becomes a major
\nstumbling block.<\/p>\n
The best aspects of the film, aside from Arnett’s
\nperformance, are the stand-up sequences. These have all the authenticity one
\nmight expect from someone getting his feet wet and having more than a few jokes
\nfall completely flat. There\u2019s a hit-and-miss variability to these types of
\namateur performances that Is This Thing On? perfectly captures. That’s
\nno doubt due to the familiarity of Arnett to these venues. The authenticity he
\nbrings to the writing side of things can’t be underestimated. <\/p>\n
Searchlight Pictures’ decision to release this theatrically
\nreflects an optimism about how adult drama can fare in today’s bleak theatrical
\nenvironment. While this might have been a beloved under-the-radar success story
\nas recently as 10 or 15 years ago, it seems a hard sell in 2025, destined to
\nplay in those tiny back-of-the-multiplex auditoriums reserved for titles no one
\nsees. However, this is a perfect streaming experience, and perhaps that’s where
\nit will find an audience. Alex is certainly worth spending a couple of hours
\nwith, even if the slow pace is better modulated for a night in than a night
\nout.<\/p>\n
\t \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tIs This Thing On? (United States, 2025)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is This Thing On? is a good old-fashioned character study: a slice-of-life drama about a man who rediscovers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238814,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[434,18,117,19,17,1382,74175],"class_list":{"0":"post-238813","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-movie","14":"tag-movie-reviews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115739280951316144","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}