Is This Think On? : Austin Film Festival

Everyone has heard of the midlife crisis — or at least the jokes about it. Maybe it’s a man in his forties or fifties buying a sports car, or dating a younger woman. Whatever form it takes, it usually comes down to wanting to feel young again. As for me, I’m still waiting for mine, even though I’m at the age when it’s supposed to happen. Whether it truly exists or not, people assume it does. Bradley Cooper’s new film Is This Thing On? explores exactly that — and it turns out the answer isn’t always a fast car.

Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) have been together for about twenty-six years, married for twenty-one of them. But that marriage is in trouble. The two have hit an impasse — Alex has moved to the city, while Tess remains in their family home with their two sons. Tess seems to have her life together, while Alex drifts through his days in a fog. One night, in an effort to avoid paying a cover charge for a drink, he impulsively signs up for an open mic. Once on stage, Alex rants about his life — and, to his surprise, gets some genuine laughs. In that moment, he discovers something that might finally give him purpose again.

No one, not even Alex’s and Tess’s best friends, Balls (Bradley Cooper) and Christine (Andra Day), sees this coming. But stand-up comedy quickly becomes the thing Alex needs — a way to rediscover himself and, perhaps, to save the life he once had.

Written by Will Arnett, Mark Chappell, and Bradley Cooper, Is This Thing On? is partially inspired by the true story of John Bishop, a British man who turned to stand-up after separating from his wife. The trio’s screenplay manages to avoid many of the clichés typical of movie relationship dramas, and Cooper’s direction places us squarely inside the chaos of a midlife reckoning. He uses his camera like an interrogator — tight close-ups that feel invasive, leaving his characters no place to hide. The film’s deliberately unpolished look mirrors the dullness and exhaustion that have settled over Alex and Tess’s lives.

Is This Thing On? is an unflinching portrait of a marriage at a crossroads, elevated by the raw, deeply human performances of its leads. There are laughs to be found, but also a host of other emotions. Dern and Arnett deliver fearless work, digging into the complex, often contradictory feelings that come with love, regret, and reinvention. Together, they transform a simple story into something quietly profound — a reminder that growth can emerge from even the most painful cracks.

The film walks a delicate line between comfort and discomfort. Beneath the humor lies something tender and true. There are no easy answers here, no false assurances that everything will turn out fine. Instead, Cooper offers something far more honest — a story that feels lived-in, unvarnished, and real.

Is This Thing On? is exactly the kind of film that reminds me why I love movies: sometimes, in our own lives, we lose direction. And sometimes, a story like this can offer just enough of a clue to help us find our way back.