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Is This Thing On?

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02:26

Is This Thing On?

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Summary

Alex Novak and wife Tess are in the early stages of separation, sensitively navigating the end of their marriage. Unable to afford the cover charge at his local drinking den, Alex impetuously puts his name down to perform at the Comedy Cellar's open mic night.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

James Mottram

A newly single man rediscovers his voice through the joys of performing stand-up in this comedy drama directed by Bradley Cooper. Will Arnett is Alex, left unmoored after separating from wife Tess (Laura Dern). One night, he passes by a New York bar, where to gain free entry he commits to doing a short stand-up set. Bitten by the bug, he makes inroads on the local comedy scene while navigating emotional turbulence, just as Tess, a former volleyball player, reassesses her own life choices. Loosely inspired by the life of Scouse comedian John Bishop (Arnett rather incongruously wears Liverpool FC shirts, in a nod to Bishop), it follows Cooper's musical-themed movies, the A Star Is Born remake (2018) and Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro (2023), with a different take on the restorative powers of performance. It's a little throwaway and Woody Allen-lite, typified by Cooper's small, ill-advised role as an airhead family friend. Arnett is an amiable, earnest lead, however, while Dern is typically classy.

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6.7/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameAlex NovakWill ArnettTess NovakLaura DernChristineAndra DayBallsBradley CooperFelixBlake KaneJudeCalvin KnegtenGeoffreyScott IcenogleStephenSean HayesJanCiarán HindsMarilynChristine Ebersole

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Crew

rolenameDirectorBradley CooperWriterBradley CooperWriterWill ArnettWriterMark ChappellWriterJohn BishopProducerWill ArnettProducerBradley CooperProducerWeston MiddletonProducerKris ThykierComposerJames NewberryDirector of photographyMatthew LibatiqueEditorCharlie GreeneCastingShayna MarkowitzProduction designerKevin Thompson

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Details

Theatrical distributor

Walt Disney

Released on

2026-01-30

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing, sexual references, drug abuse

Formats

Colour

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