Is This Thing On? Review

Standup is like therapy… when you think about it. In both cases, a person exposes their innermost thoughts. People are given license to be brutally honest, saying things about their loved ones that they probably wouldn’t admit to their faces. Of course, if a therapist laughed at your emotional turmoil, you’d likely ask for a refund. If an audience laughs, you feel strangely gratified. Laughter tells a comedian that the audience has been there too, letting them know they aren’t alone. That said, what happens in therapy stays in that room. When you say something onstage, your thoughts are out in the open.

Will Arnett has been one of our best comedic actors for over twenty years, going back to his work on Arrested Development. Anyone who’s seen BoJack Horseman knows that Arnett is also underappreciated as a dramatic actor. No joke, Arnett demonstrated some of the century’s rawest acting chops as a cartoon horse, the episode with BoJack’s eulogy to his mother being a dramatic highlight. Much like how that episode provided an extended monologue for Arnett, Is This Thing On? largely relies on his ability to hold an audience’s attention. Arnett succeeds in a Best Actor-worthy performance.

Arnett plays Alex Novak, who is separated from his wife Tess (Laura Dern). They keep up appearances for the sake of their children, but even they know what’s going on. When Alex stumbles into a bar, he decides to participate in open mic night rather than pay the entry fee. Alex doesn’t tell jokes so much as he speaks his mind. His anecdotes get a few laughs, however. Is This Thing On? isn’t a male version of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where a comedic genius emerges from an unlikely background. Standup is just a hobby for Alex, although we never see him do his day job.

Alex knows that he’s not that funny. While the other comics poke fun at his amateur act, they still accept him. They can tell that Alex is using comedy as an outlet for his personal life, which even professional comedians can identify with. Alex makes friends with several other regulars, including Amy Sedaris, in a BoJack/Princess Carolyn reunion. He tries to keep his worlds separated, but it’s only a matter of time until Alex’s standup clashes with his crumbling marriage. When they inevitably do, the audience assumes the film will go in one direction. In a refreshing twist, Alex’s honesty onstage might improve his emotionally distant home life.

Following A Star Is Born and Maestro, Is This Thing On? is a very different film from director Bradley Cooper. Hidden behind glasses, a hat, and a Unabomber bear, Cooper also stars as an aspiring actor who’s ironically more comedic than Arnett’s character. You’d think it would be the other way around, but Arnett is the dramatic anchor who keeps the film grounded. Arnett is so natural in the lead role that it doesn’t even feel like he’s acting. Where Cooper’s character wants to be famous, Alex has no aspirations to be a celebrity. He simply wants to do standup, whether or not he’s actually good at it. In the eyes of his peers, that’s what makes him one of them. It brings out Alex’s true self, forcing him to take an honest look at himself and those around him.