Bradley Cooper Delivers His Funniest Movie Yet With Is This Thing On?

Bradley Cooper takes a breath with Is This Thing On?, a gentler, funnier pivot after the intensity of A Star Is Born and the technical flex of Maestro. It is still about heartbreak and reinvention, just with more jokes, a looser gait, and a warmer pulse.

The setup

Will Arnett and Laura Dern anchor the film as Alex and Tess Novak, a couple who calmly decide their marriage has run its course. No screaming match, no scandal. They are still friends and co-parents, still orbit the same people, and still share history — the spark is just gone. The movie follows their awkward, funny, and occasionally sharp-edged attempts to separate without severing, especially with two young sons in the mix.

Arnett, finally uncaged

Arnett co-wrote the script with Cooper and Mark Chappell, and he gets a role that plays to everything he does best. Alex processes pain by telling jokes instead of crying, and on an impulse he signs up for an open mic. That stage becomes the film’s emotional engine: his bits are raw, wobbly, and very funny, and they double as therapy sessions with an audience. If you loved Arnett’s bruised, deadpan ache in BoJack Horseman, this is that energy in human form.

Cooper shoots those sets like confessionals — tight closeups, long takes, nowhere to hide — so every breath before a punchline lands matters. The act starts clumsy, then sharpens as Alex steadies himself off-stage too. It is a smart way to show growth without speechifying.

Cooper, in the back seat (and having fun)

Cooper mostly stays behind the camera and pops in as Arnie, Alex’s well-meaning best friend and a struggling actor. Arnie could have been a one-note gag; instead, Cooper plays him with warmth and goofy timing. After back-to-back awards-season heavies — and yes, the man sits at 12 Oscar nominations with zero wins — it is nice to see him loosen up. The whole film has that confident, nothing-to-prove vibe.

New York, actually New York

The movie lives in Greenwich Village, especially around the comedy clubs and cafes off MacDougal Street. You can feel the real-places texture — including familiar haunts like Bar Six — rather than soundstage New York. That lived-in detail gives the whole thing a welcome shrug-of-the-shoulders authenticity.

Dern gives it a heartbeat

As Tess, Dern keeps the story honest. While Alex cracks jokes through the pain, Tess carries hers more quietly. She is not angry so much as worn down, wistful, and simply not the person she used to be. When Arnett and Dern share the frame, the movie clicks — there is prickly banter, leftover chemistry, and the ache of two people who still care but cannot go back.

Light on its feet, heavy where it counts

Cooper threads the tone just right. The laughs come from recognizable discomfort, and the sadness never drowns out the humor. It starts deceptively simple and gets richer as it goes, even if you might feel a beat or two coming. No grand gestures, no fireworks — just a humane, quietly funny story about moving forward without erasing what came before.

'Endings can be beginnings. Humor can heal.'

• What it is: A comedy-drama about an amicable split that doubles as a stand-up confessional
• Who is who: Will Arnett (Alex Novak), Laura Dern (Tess Novak), Bradley Cooper (Arnie)
• Who made it: Directed by Bradley Cooper; written by Will Arnett, Bradley Cooper, and Mark Chappell
• Where it lives: Greenwich Village hangouts around MacDougal Street, with real NYC spots like Bar Six
• Why it works: Arnett’s best on-screen turn, sharply staged stand-up sequences, and Dern’s grounded counterweight
• The vibe: Relaxed, warm, and quietly piercing; not flashy, sometimes predictable, consistently human
• Festival stop: Screened at the New York Film Festival
• Backer: A Searchlight Pictures release

The verdict

By the end, Is This Thing On? sneaks up on you. What starts as a midlife chuckle turns into a tender look at self-expression, forgiveness, and the weirdly funny business of life after love. Cooper has already proven he can make a capital-S Serious movie. Here, he proves he can make a great, funny one too.

Score: 8/10