Is This Thing On ?

With the film Is This Thing On?, director and co-writer Bradley Cooper continues his decidedly atypical career as a filmmaker, moving from the tragic lyricism of A Star Is Born to the biographical rigor of Maestro, before landing in a human-scale comedy-drama, almost modest in appearance, but surprisingly dense in its emotional resonance. The film opens not with an explosive crisis but with a whispered separation, almost mundane in its formulation without shouting or slamming doors. This choice immediately sets the tone: here, there is no loud melodrama, but rather a delicate autopsy of a tired love affair. Will Arnett, in the role of Alex Novak, immediately imposes a fragile, destabilized presence, far removed from his usual comic roles. Opposite him, Laura Dern plays Tess with a rare emotional intelligence that simultaneously conveys weariness, residual tenderness, and pent-up anger. From these first few minutes, the film intrigues us with its rejection of the spectacular conventions of divorce movies and completely captures our attention by setting the scene.

The narrative trigger, which shows the main character Alex signing up for an open mic night to avoid a ridiculous entrance fee, might seem artificial if it weren't based on a very real story: that of John Bishop, whose personal experience inspired the screenplay co-written by Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell. This detail subtly changes the perception of the film. What could pass for Hollywood fantasy becomes a credible human hypothesis: what if a late career change were born less of a vocation than of an accident, a moment of confusion? Alex's first appearance on stage, captured in an almost oppressive silence, sums up the film's premise. He doesn't tell jokes, he tells his story. The laughter arises less from the text than from the shared discomfort. Bradley Cooper films this moment as an ambiguous rebirth: enlightenment or escapism?

The film's great success lies in the idea that stand-up comedy is neither a dream of glory nor a classic comic device, but a genuine therapeutic substitute. Alex never becomes a genius on stage; his performances oscillate between touching awkwardness and flashes of lucidity. Matthew Libatique, Bradley Cooper's loyal cinematographer, often frames Will Arnett in shaky close-ups, searching his face for the micro-variations of a man rediscovering the feeling of being alive. This sometimes uncomfortable proximity creates a raw, almost documentary-like intimacy. We feel Alex's growing dependence on public attention, that addictive thrill that is less reminiscent of artistic success than emotional validation. The film then poses a fascinating question: does laughter really heal, or does it just mask the pain?

Mirroring this, Tess is on her own path to recovery. Laura Dern carefully avoids the trap of the narrative wife. Her character is neither antagonist nor sacrificial victim. A former elite athlete, Tess carries the silent weight of sacrifice, and Laura Dern conveys this with restrained acting, where every glance seems laden with an unspoken past. One scene in particular (when she attends one of Alex's performances incognito) becomes a moment of pure cinema: without a word, Laura Dern conveys astonishment, humiliation, desire, and nostalgia. Rarely has a silent reaction been so eloquent. At this moment, Is This Thing On? ceases to be a chronicle of reinvention and becomes a dizzying study of what remains of love after its supposed extinction.

Bradley Cooper also injects an unexpected comic vein through Balls, a character he plays himself. As a dreamy, immature, and delightfully annoying actor, he offers a burlesque counterpoint to the prevailing melancholy. This role functions as a discreet self-parody: the narcissistic artist, once a tragic figure in Cooper's work, here becomes a source of farce. Andra Day, as Christine, modulates a delicious exasperation that is never caricatural. Their marital dynamic acts as a distorted echo of that of Alex and Tess, showing another variation on the difficulty of being two without losing oneself. These secondary characters enrich the narrative without ever completely stealing the show from the central duo.

Visually, the film adopts a deliberately stripped-down aesthetic. There are no flamboyant compositions or operatic flourishes; the handheld camera dominates, the lighting remains natural, and the sets are believable. New York apartments, suburban homes, and especially the hushed basements of comedy clubs make up a tangible universe. This sobriety gives the film an almost neorealist texture, accentuating the impression of capturing fragments of life rather than scripted situations. The soundtrack, subtly jazzy thanks to James Newberry, accompanies the emotions without overemphasizing them, even if the heavy use of “Under Pressure” may divide audiences with its obvious symbolism.

However, the film is not without its weaknesses. Some plot coincidences border on convenience, and a few explanatory dialogues seem to rely too heavily on words rather than the already eloquent performances of the actors. It is also regrettable that the artisanal dimension of stand-up comedy remains in the background. But these reservations never detract from the essential: the sincerity of the gaze. Bradley Cooper films his characters with palpable kindness, rejecting cynicism and easy cruelty. He prefers to explore the gray areas, those territories where one can be both loving and flawed, lost and touching.

Is This Thing On? stands out as a bittersweet, deeply adult work that finds its strength in observing the invisible cracks in everyday life. Will Arnett reveals a deeply moving vulnerability, while Laura Dern, imperious, confirms her unique ability to transform the slightest silence into a dramatic event. Without revolutionizing the genre, Bradley Cooper has created his most human, and perhaps most intimate, film. A dramatic comedy that seeks neither hysteria nor spectacular catharsis, but something rarer: recognition.

Is This Thing On ?
Directed by Bradley Cooper
Written by Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Mark Chappell
Story by Will Arnett, Mark Chappell, John Bishop
Produced by Bradley Cooper, Weston Middleton, Will Arnett, Kris Thykier
Starring Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
Edited by Charlie Greene
Music by James Newberry
Production companies: Lea Pictures, Archery Pictures
Distributed by Searchlight Pictures (United States), The Walt Disney Company France (France)
Release dates: October 10, 2025 (NYFF), December 19, 2025 (United States), February 25, 2026 (France)
Running time: 121 minutes

Seen on February 11, 2026 at The Walt Disney Company France headquarters (Paris)

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