Is This Thing on? – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds

In cinemas January 30

If you are not familiar with the story behind this film, it is based on how Liverpool comedian John Bishop got his start in the business. But Arrested Development star Arnett doesn’t attempt Bishop’s distinctive accent. Instead, the action has been transported to New York’s comedy scene, which, with all due respect to Liverpool, is slightly more glamorous. Arnett is also called Alex Novak instead of John Bishop – just so we know it is inspired by a true story rather than fully autobiographical.

Dern plays his estranged wife Tess, who still lives in the family home with their two kids, while he lives alone in an apartment. If you’ve ever seen John Bishop live, then you probably know what happens next. Slightly tipsy, he signs up for a comedy open mic to avoid paying the bar’s admission fee, but to his horror, he gets called up on stage. With no material prepared, it becomes a confessional, but he is bitten by the bug. He is soon spending his nights honing his show in clubs around the city.

As bizarre as it sounds, that is loosely what happened to Bishop, and by his own admission, it saved his marriage – because truth really is stranger than fiction. However, when Bishop tells the tale, he does inject it with the humour you would expect. But Cooper treats the story incredibly earnestly. There are lots of intense close-ups, so you can see every nervous tic as Alex makes his first forays into comedy. While comedians can have big personalities, these scenes are incredibly intimate and perfectly capture the atmosphere in those sorts of venues.

This is not a comedy, however. These stand-up segments punctuate the story rather than dominate it, and ultimately, this is an examination of relationship breakdowns and reconnection. Tess and Alex’s friends serve the purpose of giving another perspective on love and marriage.

Arnett and Dern have an awkward charm as their characters try to navigate their new normal. The supporting cast, including Cooper as Alex’s best friend, are mainly there for exposition and comparison but acquit themselves well. The pace may prove too gentle for some people. This is not high octane by any means. There are no huge dramatics, and everything is extremely subtle, which makes it even more engaging. Ultimately, this is a very sweet film that just manages to stay on the right side of saccharine. But if you are going through something similar in your own relationship, it may well give you food for thought.