Review: Is This Thing On?

Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Bradley Cooper's third time behind the camera is, similar to his other two pictures, about performance, although not about music as his previous works - "A Star is Born" and "Maestro" - were. In "Is This Thing On?" the lead character literally wanders his way into standup comedy, and it ends being a form of therapy.

Will Arnett plays Alex Novak, who vaguely mentions that he has some sort of job in finance and is, at the film's beginning, in the process of getting a divorce from his wife, Tess (Laura Dern), a former volleyball player who now has the opportunity to get into coaching. They have an amicable relationship and two young sons who spend more time with her, a lot of which is spent playing Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" on the keyboard and guitar.

While wandering around in Greenwich Village, Alex stumbles into a nightclub that features standup comedy. He doesn't have $15 for the cover charge, but is told he'll get in free and can get a drink if he signs up to perform. During his first time on stage, he gets in a line or two about his divorce, draws a few laughs, and convinces the other standup comedians there that he's not entirely hopeless.

There have been numerous scenes in movies in which a divorced parent must drop off the kids at his ex's house for a date - in this case, it's for a gig. Alex continues to perform on the standup circuit, mostly unbeknownst to his ex-wife, children, and parents (Christine Ebersole and Ciaran Hinds).

Alex and Tess's friends - which include a couple played by Bradley Cooper and Andra Day who have their own marital complications - have mostly just accepted that their friends are splitting up. So, it becomes their mission to keep it a secret when, after accidentally witnessing one of his standup routines, Tess spends the night with Alex and they start seeing each other again on the sly.

"Is This Thing On?" is an enjoyable look at the standup comedy scene and it mostly works as a divorce dramedy. Alex's standup is occasionally funny - and sometimes awkward, especially during a scene when he rants angrily - and the relationship drama elements become more compelling as the film goes on. 

That being said, the film is my number three of the ones that Cooper has directed. "A Star is Born" was a crowd pleaser - and my favorite of his films - that took a well-trodden story and made it fresh again, while "Maestro" was an artier and more ambitious work. "Is This Thing On" has a more laid-back vibe and feels as if it has a little less to prove than Cooper's previous ventures. As such, it's an agreeable picture, if not one quite as memorable as his other two features. But all in all, it works.