June 9

Day 9

It is interesting when a film about a stand up comedian is not really funny.

Is This Thing On? is more of a character study than a comedy. I would go as far as to say that there is less comedy in this movie than you would see in most films. Because it is not really about the comedy. It is about the relationship between Alex and Tess (played by Will Arnett and Laura Dern) than anything else.

According to IMDB, “As their marriage unravels, Alex faces middle age and divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene. Meanwhile, his wife Tess confronts sacrifices made for their family, forcing them to navigate co-parenting and identities.”

Both Arnett and Dern do a great job with their individual characters, showing the cracks and frustrations of their marriage.

It is a slow burn of a movie, but it takes time to develop these two main characters and, because they do, the conclusion of the film works so much better.

It is directed by Bradley Cooper and he appeared as a supporting character in the film. In fact, Cooper’s character, Balls, was an odd character, bringing some levity to the film.

I was surprised with the tone of this movie. I expected more comedy than I got, but the film is still a very well written and acted movie. Arnett and Dern are great together and the film popped when they were sharing the screen. It was an unexpected tale.