There’s something ironic about how Will Arnett is a comic actor and he finally gets to do a lead dramatic role and he is playing a comedian?
- Director – Bradley Cooper
- Runtime – 121 minutes
- Certificate – 15
- Country – United States
Besides that little irony, a lot of this film really worked for me, and while all the good aspects are good regardless, I really do believe that this film would not work if Arnett was not cast.
Playing a recent divorcee named Alex Novak, who turns to stand-up comedy to process this stage of his life, he carries this on his back. He gives this it his all and it results in arguably his best performance to date, which probably excludes his role of Bojack Horseman. Speaking of Bojack, I know Arnett has a kind of love/hate relationship with the character and I don’t want to immediately link him back to that, but it’s really hard not to draw similarities (but also not really?)
The script is so honest and raw that in a way it does at times feel like an episode of Bojack Horseman – especially during the actual standup scenes and them feeling like the ‘Free Churro’ episode. Arnett just going on and on for periods of time without interruption is where the film truly shines.
Again the script shows this vulnerability and delves into the mindset of someone going through these events that only he could capture.
Laura Dern is also giving it her all as Tess Novak, and while I admittedly haven’t watched nearly enough of all her filmography (in fairness it is quite extensive) this is one of my favourite performances by her. Unfortunately she doesn’t get as much screen time as she should because we needed to spend more time with her character than we did. Ultimately that leads to the ending feeling somewhat rushed as by the time the film reaches the resolution it still feels like they are in two separate places due to Arnett being more developed.
I love the way that the film is shot too. Bradley Cooper and his direction are on point here and knows exactly what he wants, with his DP Matthew Libatique knowing exactly how to capture it. The story is incredibly personal and the camera work shows. The claustrophobia inducing close ups or the shaky movements make you feel as if you are actually there – almost bordering on documentary like.
The camera is also rarely static – always moving, again especially during the stand-up scenes. There’s a moment near the end where it transitions from Arnett walking down a corridor in a house to the hallway of the comedy club, and the way the camera follows him and is shaking while doing so had me in awe. It’s quite a simple scene but it just did something for me that added to the immersion.
One thing that didn’t work for me however was the friend group. I get they are there to add to the thematic layers of the film but they’re not really developed enough. One couple (played by Sean Hayes and Scott Icenogle) barely speaks and are pretty much just background characters.
The other couple played by Bradley Cooper and Andra Day are more developed but that isn’t saying much. I will be more forgiving to this though as Cooper’s character is hilarious – in particular the scene with him and Arnett talking about a photo of Dern’s character.
Is This Thing On? is a brilliantly directed and shot dramedy by Cooper and Libatique that captures the raw and honest intensity of the script, that is perfectly delivered by Will Arnett and Laura Dern in arguably some of their best work.