Will Arnett finds therapy at the open mic, in moving marriage tale ‘Is This Thing On?’

Will Arnett finds therapy at the open mic, in moving marriage tale ‘Is This Thing On?’

🎭 The Premise: Stand-Up as Salvation

The film follows Alex Novak (Arnett), a middle-aged finance executive whose marriage to Tess (Laura Dern), a former Olympic volleyball player, quietly ends—not with a bang, but with a weary, mutual exhaustion.

• The "Accidental" Hobby: Alone in a "divorced dad" apartment and struggling to process his grief, Alex wanders into a New York comedy club (a fictionalized Comedy Cellar). He impulsively signs up for an open mic, ostensibly just to avoid paying the $15 cover charge.

• Vulnerability as Performance: Alex discovers that the stage is the only place he can be honest. His routines aren't polished jokes; they are raw, awkward, and heartbreakingly real vents about his divorce, his "Irish twin" sons, and his own failures.

• The Therapy: As the title suggests, the film explores how stand-up becomes a form of public therapy for Alex, allowing him to unburden himself in a room full of strangers in a way he never could with Tess.

🎬 Behind the Scenes

The project is a deeply personal collaboration between friends, co-written by Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell.

• Real-Life Inspiration: The story is loosely based on the real-life experience of British comedian John Bishop, who famously stumbled into stand-up during his own divorce 25 years ago. Bishop serves as an executive producer on the film.

• Arnett's Commitment: To prepare, Arnett reportedly performed live sets at New York comedy clubs four to five nights a week for six weeks, experiencing the real-world "bombing" and "crushing" that fuels his character's arc.

• The Director's Vision: This is Bradley Cooper’s third directorial effort (A Star Is Born, Maestro). Critics have praised him for taking a "smaller-scale," more intimate approach, opting to play a secondary role as Alex’s "bearded, goofball" best friend, Balls, to let Arnett and Dern shine.

🌟 Critical Reception

The film has received high praise, currently sitting at a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Stripped of his usual irony, Arnett delivers the most vulnerable performance of his career—funny, broken, and surprisingly tender." — The Playlist

Feature	Details
Director	Bradley Cooper
Main Cast	Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Bradley Cooper, Andra Day, Amy Sedaris
Cameos	NFL star Peyton Manning (as Tess’s date) and real-life comedians like Dave Attell and Sam Jay.
Run Time	120 Minutes
Rating	R (Language, sexual references, drug use)