Spoilers ahead.
Directed by Bradley Cooper, “Is This Thing On?” is outwardly about the dissolution and rebuilding of the marriage of a middle-aged man, Alex, who regains his sense of self through stand-up comedy. Yet it is also a meditation on the rigmarole of daily life and the fact that growth must sometimes be an individual process. It invites audiences to self-reflect: Are you an attentive listener, a good communicator? When was the last time you did something you’re bad at? How often do you give up the things you’re good at?
At the start of the film, the marriage between Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) has become more of a coexistence than a partnership. Alex has been depressed for years, performing the motions of his finance job as a shell of himself — convincingly portrayed by Arnett — until he finds himself onstage at an open-mic night, largely unintentionally.
As a comic, Alex is not particularly good — this is not “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” or a laugh-out-loud movie save for a few, usually non stand-up scenes. The first time, his set is just a tale of woe establishing his imminent divorce. He grapples with this in his subsequent return to the standup scene night after night, where he discovers a creative outlet and heartwarming community. In the vulnerable act of reflective joke-making, he begins to piece himself back together, almost subconsciously. Tess is equally attracted to the revitalized Alex, frustrated by how long it’s been since she last saw him, and new interactions between them — prompting the conclusion that Alex was unhappy “in” and not “with” their marriage — lead to their reconciliation.
Cooper, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Arnett and Mark Chappel and has a guest role in the film, keeps the movie deliberately contained. The cast is limited in size, and the crises are impactful yet confined to the interpersonal. As a director, Cooper has always been concerned with intimate, two-person dynamics — even the larger-scale “A Star is Born” is a tale of self-destruction and partnership at heart.
At times, this containment is an impediment. Even for a slice-of-life movie, very little happens, and an audience can only enjoy so many middling standup routines. Arnett and Dern, however, are highly charismatic and compelling in their roles.
Dern in particular steals this film, as she does every project. Her portrayal of Tess is undeniably magnetic and cutting. A former volleyball star still mourning her career and with nowhere to channel her passion, Tess feels fundamentally misunderstood and unsupported by Alex in her disintegrating marriage. Her decision to incite the separation is a reclamation of her autonomy, choosing an opportunity to find out who she is without the dead weight of a flailing marriage. In her interactions with Alex, Dern’s acting is top-notch — she could teach a masterclass in nearly imperceptible facial expressions.
Despite the well-developed central characters, the movie’s most frustrating quality is that the script feels shallow in other aspects. The side characters — Alex’s parents, the couple’s two sons and their friend group — are given backstories with little depth, and Cooper uses serendipity as a crutch. When Tess is on a date and stumbles into the downtown bar where Alex is monologuing about their sex life, it is fundamentally unbelievable. Luckily, the scene is redeemed by Cooper’s quick cuts, the frantic score and Dern’s barely contained rage and lust.
Movies about midlife crises, an underappreciated subgenre, are almost always enjoyable. Consider the cult classic “Crazy, Stupid, Love” or the more recent “You Hurt My Feelings.” While addressing the reality that no couple can grow in perfect parallel lines, these movies also tap into the human feeling that life is progressing without our consent. “Is This Thing On?” is a touching reflection on how two people can find their way back to each other — and on the cathartic power of comedy.
