Is This Thing On? (2025)★ 6.8/10

we need to stop using the song under pressure in emotional denouement scenes

Being in a relationship can be difficult, no matter how long you’ve been in it. In IS THIS THING ON?, which is loosely based on a true story, Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) have mutually decided to separate after over 20 years of marriage. Alex finds out he loves stand-up comedy, while Tess pursues her passion for coaching volleyball. Both start to work on themselves outside the relationship. This movie is a dissection of a realistic relationship. No dramatizing, only real conversations between two people trying to figure things out. It has familiar story elements, but they feel fresh because the characters are complex and believable. Even though I gave A STAR IS BORN a perfect score back in 2018, this might be my favorite movie directed by Bradley Cooper. I believe I have changed since then. Grown up, evolved, whatever you want to call it. This movie doesn’t feel like it’s catering to the audience. He has now made 3 movies about the life of an artist, and how the line between public life and private life can get blurred, this time with stand-up comedy. He is at his most authentic. Arnett and Dern have perfect chemistry, deftly bouncing off each other. If I closed my eyes, it felt like I was watching an episode of Bojack Horseman. Arnett plays a similar character here. It even has Amy Sedaris. I loved getting a look at the New York comedy scene, even seeing the famed Comedy Cellar with some actual comedians. Using stand-up comedy as a coping mechanism to organize your life or as therapy feels like it would be cathartic. I really enjoyed IS THIS THING ON? as you can tell. Highly recommended. Remember, relationships can be messy, and they almost never look like what you imagined.