Sometimes life’s unfunniest moments make for the most honest comedy. “Is This Thing On?” opens on the day a marriage quietly ends—no drama, no spectacle, just the echo of what’s gone—and the fallout lands its protagonist behind a mic, recharging his life with stand-up’s raw spotlight. This story of self-rescue unfolds in New York City and premieres October 10 as the closing-night film at the New York Film Festival, before opening in US theaters on December 19 via Searchlight Pictures.
Will Arnett plays Alex, a man adrift after separation from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), a former athlete wading through her own identity shift. The ensemble is deep and textured: Bradley Cooper plays Alex’s best friend; the cast also includes Ciarán Hinds, Sean Hayes, Amy Sedaris, Andra Day, Peyton Manning, and Chloe Radcliffe.
The film’s heart stems from a real story: British comedian John Bishop found healing from his divorce through stand-up. Arnett and co-writer Mark Chappell adapted that core into the film; Bishop serves as executive producer, giving the story its emotional truth.
Arnett trained intensely for the role, performing as Alex in live sets at clubs four to five nights weekly for six weeks. Some nights he “absolutely crushed it,” others he tanked—in public. That vulnerability is the film’s pulse. “Not only is nobody laughing, but people have a look of disdain on their face, and there’s nowhere for me to hide,” Arnett recalled to Vanity Fair, summing up the raw exposure that fuels the story’s edge.
For Cooper, the project is about more than performance—it’s about reframing middle age. “This movie is not a midlife crisis—it’s a midlife catharsis,” he told the outlet, distilling the film’s sense of reinvention through comedy into a single line.
Cooper co-wrote, directed, and co-starred, and operated the B-camera to capture intimate, vulnerable moments. Laura Dern, reflecting on his method, said he “was literally able to whisper in your ear while shooting you.”
NYFF’s Artistic Director framed the film as “a fond tribute to New York City’s comedy scene, a sensitive study of midlife discontent, and a modern-day comedy of remarriage”—a tone that delivers cuts that sting and laughs that soothe.
Vanity Fair provided the first-look photos and Arnett and Cooper’s candid reflections, underscoring how “Is This Thing On?” aims to cut deeper than comedy.
“Is This Thing On?” opens December 19 in theaters and world premieres at the New York Film Festival in October. Check out the first look photos below.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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