SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
After many years married to each other, Alex (played by Will Arnett) and Tess Novak (Laura Dern) have decided to split up. As to not disrupt their traditional get togethers, they’ve managed to keep it from their closest friends but the time has come to go their seperate ways. Tess, a former Olympic volleyball player, starts to consider going back to the sport she found so much joy in prior to becoming a wife and mother while Alex finds himself spinning his wheels unsure of where to go and what to do. One night, he passes a comedy club where he can hear people having a good time. Desperate to find any joy at all, he learns that he can go in for free if he signs up for the open mic night. He takes the stage to fulfill his requirement and reluctantly, anxiously walks the audience through the pains of his recent divorce. He quickly realizes that the laughter he’s getting in return gives him that joy he’s been seeking so desperately. He ends up slowly building a stand up act based on his relationship struggles (providing him much-needed therapy) and befriending other comics (providing him a much-needed support system). Because stand up is such a sharp left turn from what his close friends and family expect from his personality, he attempts to keep his new passion close to the vest but, when people show up accidentally, his new life — and his subject material — don’t sit well.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Despite being a tiny little movie, IS THIS THING ON? is robust in dealing with relationships, parenting, friendships, passions and human emotions, handling all of the above with a sense of rawness, beauty and joy.
It’s a rare film that lacks a traditional villain and where the audience actively roots for every character. Will Alex be able to explore his new passion without judgment? Will Tess be able to find happiness in both parenting and coaching? Are Christine and Balls (Andra Day and Bradley Cooper, respectively) able to accept the real versions of each other?
There’s so much happening on screen but, at the same time, there’s very little happening. No large set pieces, no physical fights, no dramatic exposition. Just relatable characters, inside a beautiful story, dealing with grief in their own way. So simple yet so layered.
Writers Arnett, Mark Chappell and John Bishop have captured the most deeply authentic look of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs I’ve seen in quite a while here and director Cooper puts it all together in an entertaining package. How many dramas have we seen that are quality films but a little bit of a slog to get through? That is not the case here. Despite being a tick over two hours, you never check your watch and you’re always left wanting more.
If you’re a college professor in the field of psychology, IS THIS THING ON? should be required viewing for every one of your students. But, regardless of your profession or marital status, if you’re an adult, I find it very hard to believe you won’t be impacted by this incredible film, leaving with both a joy in your soul and many moments of self-reflection.
Among the year’s best, without question, and Arnett very well could be on my Music City Film Critics Association ballot for Best Actor.
JKG SCORE: 8.5
Untitled Film Project 