150 Word Review: 'Is This Thing On?' (2025)
What's the deal with...
I do not think the overly sincere movies Bradley Cooper directs are for me. His hit A Star Is Born and Maestro both explored the lives of artists. His lukewarm but well-meaning dramedy, Is This Thing On?, continues that theme.
Will Arnett growls as a recently divorced dad who, high on a pot cookie, stumbles into a comedy club and throws his name on an open mic list to avoid a cover. Laura Dern is painfully human as the ex.
The stand-up world of Is This Thing On? is funny for all the wrong reasons: every quirky comic exists only to help Arnett’s dad find himself. I am not opposed to sentimental dreck; there’s a time and a place for it. But Is This Thing On? had me begging for a few ugly laughs. Midlife crises are funny because life is a constant embarrassment; nobody gets what they truly want.
Bradley Cooper must be stopped
Thank the lord for Laura Dern, who was the only part of this movie that entertained me in the slightest. (also, does Will Arnett just look like that now, or was he wearing some of Cooper's left-over Lenny prosthetics?)