‘Is This Thing On?’ Review: A Moving Exploration of Grief Through Comedy
4/5 comedy sets
The navigation of grief–any kind of grief–is never an easy process, nor is it linear. There are often several steps back you must take to even get one step forward. In Is This Thing On?, Bradley Cooper’s third film, we’re taken on an exploration of grief and self-reflection through stand-up comedy.
Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) are a couple navigating their soon-to-be separation. They have two boys, who they are doing their best to be transparent for. They’re communicating with each other about expectations post-divorce and doing their best to keep their friend group intact. All things considered, they are seemingly the most well-adjusted pre-divorced couple.
For Alex, though, things are a bit harder. Tess keeps the house in the suburbs, while Alex has to move into the city alone. It is there that he struggles to find purpose. Tess can see this, and checks in with him periodically to make sure he’s okay, but Alex assures her that he’s fine.
He is aimless, in a way, until one night, fresh off a weed cookie, he stumbles into a comedy club. He has no money for the cover charge, so we puts his name down as one of the comics. Predictably, his set isn’t good. But it is honest, and it works for him in a way that keeps him coming back as he deals with his separation and self-worth issues one set at a time.
Arnett proves he’s earned his spot in dramedy
Alex’s story is based on the life of UK comic John Bishop, and Arnett makes a fantastic turn into the dramatic to tell his story. For fans of Bojack Horseman, Arnett’s dramatic acting chops aren’t exactly new, but they are amplified here outside of a sound booth.
The chemistry between Arnett and Dern are the glue that holds this film together. With a fairly simple plot, much of the heavy lifting needs to be done by the actors, and they both pull it off spectacularly. Their dialogue feels organic and almost unscripted, especially as things progress and they begin to both realize that perhaps divorce wasn’t quite what they needed.
Is This Thing On? isn’t just about finding something to be passionate about later in life. It is, at its core, about finding yourself just when you think you’ve lost it. Dern and Arnett excel in the quiet recollection moments, showing that there is still an emotional tether connecting them.
There is one moment in the film where Tess shows up to Alex’s set unknowingly. It’s one of the more intimate ones, about him sleeping with another woman and how his marriage had been, and Cooper keeps the camera on Dern as she cycles through several emotions, before finally landing on something like pride.
Camera work is a character in itself
Cooper’s directorial decisions, such as uncomfortably long close-ups, settle viewers even more into the film. There is no way to look away from what that character is experiencing. With Arnett, it puts you firmly in his corner, making you desperately wish for him to succeed.
Cooper also holds the camera for much of this film, giving it that somewhat-unsteady quality that mirrors what the characters are going through. Nothing is polished, and you wouldn’t want it to be, lest you buff away that authenticity.
The cast is rounded out nicely with Cooper making his own appearance as a hilariously-named Balls, alongside Alex’s parents played by Ciarán Hinds and Christine Ebersole. Mark and Tess’s kids, played by Blake Kane and Calvin Knegte, shine the brightest as boys trying to make sense of both the separation and their father’s new interest.
Is This Thing On? isn’t a sleeper hit, necessarily, but it is a quiet one that lures you in and then smacks you upside the head. Like any new comic standing on unsteady colt legs, it demands your full attention, because how else will you know whether it is going to fail or succeed? This may be career-defining work for Arnett, with hopefully much more to come.
(featured image: Searchlight Pictures)
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