"Is This Thing On?" Teaser Trailer: Will Arnett Plays a Divorcing Stand-Up Comic in Bradley Cooper’s New Drama with Laura Dern
Cooper directs, co-writes, and co-stars alongside longtime friend Arnett in a heartfelt dramedy about comedy, heartbreak, and second chances.
Bradley Cooper has been nominated for an Academy Award five times as an actor—and 12 times in total when you include his work as a producer and writer. He’s also stepped behind the camera twice before, with A Star Is Born and Maestro, both of which went on to become major Oscar contenders.
Yet, despite the accolades, some still question whether Cooper is truly worthy of such recognition. A few years ago, he revealed that a well-known director once mocked him at a Hollywood party for having been nominated so many times. He later opened up about the incident on the popular podcast SmartLess—hosted by his close friends Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes—admitting he felt both angered and humiliated by the exchange.
In that interview, Cooper admitted he never quite felt like he fit in with Hollywood or its strange sense of competition, often coming across as someone more comfortable on the outside of it all. Yet, when Maestro hit the Oscar campaign trail, much of the online discourse painted him as the opposite—too hungry, too pretentious, too desperate for awards recognition. Sometimes, you can’t win.
One of the biggest moments in that SmartLess interview came when Cooper reflected on his early days in Hollywood, right after Wedding Crashers and Alias, when he suddenly found himself in a tight circle of comedian friends. Surrounded by a rowdy group of relentless trash talkers, he quickly adapted by honing a savage skill for sharp-tongued banter. But it wasn’t until Will Arnett—a guy he hadn’t even known for very long—showed up at his house and flat-out told him he had become a “real asshole” that Cooper finally realized the nights of drinking and drugs had gotten the best of him. And his “mean” humor was masking bigger issues he was facing at the time.
Cooper and Arnett have been close friends ever since. You can hear that emotional exchange below at the 25:25 mark.
So, the fact that Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett have now collaborated on a feature film feels less like a surprise and more like a natural extension of their friendship. It was bound to happen, we suppose. And this feels like another deeply personal film from Cooper, one that perhaps draws on Arnett’s real-life experiences in comedy and as a divorced dad. And don’t be surprised if Cooper’s latest directorial effort adds to his long track record of Oscar nominations. And who knows... Arnett may be best known for his sharp comedic wit and gravelly deep vocal tones, but his name just might land on the list of serious awards contenders before long.
The film is Is This Thing On?, its title borrowing from the familiar phrase a stand-up comic uses when a joke doesn’t land, followed by the awkward tap on the microphone to check if it’s even working.
Here, Arnett stars as Alex, a middle-aged New York comic facing divorce and a crumbling marriage with Tess (played by the always wonderful Laura Dern), who’s left to reckon with her own sacrifices. As his life unravels, Alex begins to channel the chaos into material for his act, blurring the line between heartbreak and humor.
In the film’s first official teaser trailer, Alex walks into a dimly lit neighborhood bar (looks like they shot inside New York’s famous Comedy Cellar), downs a drink at the counter, and is then guided toward the basement stage where his real test awaits.
Alex nervously steps up to the microphone to a smattering of polite applause. A bright spotlight hits his face. From the dark, someone heckles: “Tell a joke!” He snaps to it.
Alex
I think I’m getting a divorce.
(Pin drop. Dead silence.)
Alex
What tipped me off was that I’m living in an apartment on my own.
(A few chuckles here and there. The crowd starts to loosen up.)
Alex
Yeah. And my wife and kids don’t live there...
That was probably the biggest clue.
(This time, the laughter comes full and easy… the crowd is finally with him.)
If you think about it, there really haven’t been many films centered on stand-up comedians. At the top of the list, we can only name a few: Tom Hanks and Sally Field’s 1988 Punchline, Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler’s 2009 Funny People, Jim Carrey’s 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, and Dustin Hoffman’s 1974 Lenny Bruce biopic Lenny. Maybe just a handful worth noting, certainly awards-worthy.
But it seems that after the success of the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—along with other acclaimed stand-up comic dramas like Louie and Crashing—the story of a comic juggling their career with the chaos of personal life has proven to be a winning formula.
Arnett has been open about his struggles with alcoholism, which became the basis for his short-lived dramedy series Flaked, which ran for two seasons on Netflix. He also married fellow comic Amy Poehler, with whom he has two sons, before the couple publicly divorced after more than a decade together. We can’t help but think those personal experiences have been woven into the script of Is This Thing On?, which Arnett co-wrote with Cooper and British comic writer Mark Chappell (Flaked, See How They Run).
Note here: it was reported that the film was said to have been inspired by the life of British Liverpool comedian John Bishop (see video below), who broke into comedy later in life while going through a messy divorce.
In the film, both Arnett’s Alex and Dern’s Tess must confront who they’ve become and whether they can reimagine a life apart, all while learning to co-parent and redefine themselves as a family that’s no longer together, yet still bound. Now that’s no laughing matter, but a story that feels ripe for both heartbreak and humor.
Aside from his directing, producing, and co-writing duties, Bradley Cooper also co-stars in the upcoming film as Arnie, Alex’s best friend. And in a perfect touch, he looks like a real tool—decked out in a cowboy hat, oversized glasses, and a horseshoe mustache. Cooper clearly seems to be having fun here, especially after a year of only making a couple of surprise guest appearances in projects like Abbott Elementary (playing himself), The Righteous Gemstones (as the very first Gemstone), and even Superman (as the Man of Steel’s Kryptonian father).
The cast also includes esteemed veteran actors Ciarán Hinds and Christine Ebersole as Alex’s parents, while the rest of the ensemble features Andra Day, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, and a roster of real-life comics.
Is This Thing On? has recently been selected as the closing night film for this year’s New York Film Festival. The film will officially open nationwide in theaters on December 19th, just in time for a potential Oscar push—provided its world premiere next month goes smoothly and kills the crowd.
Official Synopsis:
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.
A new film from Bradley Cooper, starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern.
The NYFF ‘63 closing night selection, only in theaters this December.