Is This Thing On? Yes—and It’s Uncomfortably Captivating

Is This Thing On?

★ ★ ★ ★

Is This Thing On? is a striking look at a middle-aged married couple on the brink of divorce. It’s loosely inspired by John Bishop, a real-life British comic who began a career in stand-up following his pending divorce. The title comes from a quip—when a comic taps the mic after a joke fails to land—and serves as an allegory for a marriage rife with miscommunication. This film expertly navigates a couple on the brink as they try their best to end their marriage amicably while finding a new identity in a life apart from each other.

Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) Novak face the unraveling of their 20-year marriage. They have two kids, a nice house, and on the surface, a picturesque life. But neither of them are happy, nor particularly angry with each other. When we meet them, they’ve simply come to the conclusion that the marriage is probably over. “Should we call it?” Tess asks as she brushes her teeth. “I was thinking the same thing,” comes casually from Alex.

Will Arnett as Alex Novak and Laura Dern as Tess Novak
© 2025 Searchlight Pictures

The messy part begins. That last dinner party at a friend’s house as a couple. Telling the kids. Telling mom but not dad, because he can’t handle it. It’s all painfully real with characters fleshed out so well you’d swear they were your friends and you just heard the news.

Alex has a successful career in finance, while Tess has put her career aside to be a stay-at-home mom. When Alex moves out and gets his own apartment, both are free to explore what their lives can be like away from each other. It’s clear Alex’s financial career might pay the bills, but it doesn’t light his world on fire. Tess has put aside college-level volleyball coaching opportunities to raise the family. She was once an Olympic volleyball champion.

Laura Dern as Tess Novak and Andra Day as Christine
© 2025 Searchlight Pictures

Alex seems to take the separation harder than Tess, though it could be the years of daily routine he’s still wearing. He happens by a bar near his apartment where a bouncer sits outside and tells him there’s a $15 cover charge, but that’s waived if he signs up to go on stage and do open-mic stand-up.

Alex steps on stage and starts talking about his divorce and his depressed, self-deprecating approach wins the audience over. It’s the first glimmer that he might really be onto something. So he continues to do comedy while Tess works on starting her career as a volleyball coach.

This is the kind of filmmaking that strikes a brilliant balance between drama and comedy. Alex’s stand-up is funny in the film to be sure, but so is the dynamic between him and Tess and how they navigate separation with friends and family. The comedy is earned, white the drama is viscerally real.

Will Arnett, Ciarán Hinds and Christine Ebersole
© 2025 Searchlight Pictures

This is our first sustained look at Arnett as a serious, dramatic actor. His performance is worth the price of admission alone. A comedian himself, the stand-up bits are probably where he’s most comfortable. But he plays the uncomfortable scenes with such mastery you’d swear he’s a new middle-aged discovery. He builds incredible chemistry with Dern, no stranger to dramatic roles, who portrays her role with a flawless, reverent understanding of Tess.

Director Bradley Cooper lets the screenplay speak for itself, resisting flourish in favor of trust. It’s that grasp of the concept that sets him apart from other actor-turned-directors. He’s a captivating actor, and in addition to his film Maestro and the 2018 remake of A Star is Born, he can make a damned fine movie.

This movie feels like a real-life snapshot of the characters’ lives. At once we understand who they are, what they stand for, and most importantly, what they stand to lose. It’s purposefully understated and intrinsically captivating. This thing is not only on, the folks in the back can hear you too.