by: Alana Brown-Davis
A trailer for ‘Is This Thing On?’, a comedy drama directed by Bradley Cooper has been released. The film is loosely based on the life of British comedian John Bishop. ‘Is This Thing On?’ stars Cooper, Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole and Ciaran Hinds.
The film premiered on the final day of the 2025 New York Film Festival on October 10. It will be released by Searchlight Pictures on December 19.
The plot of ‘Is This Thing On?’ follows the story of Alex and Tess who have amicably divorced and are trying to navigate co parenting and maintaining their friendships. Alex discovers a new hobby, learning more about himself in the process.
‘Is This Thing On?’ was announced in 2023. Arnett cowrote the screenplay along with Mark Chappell. After several actors joined the cast, filming finished in April. So far the film has received great reviews with a 91% ratting on Rotten Tomatoes. ‘Is This Thing On?’ features many close up scenes of Arnett doing stand up which has been noted for increasing the movie’s intimacy.
Cooper had this to say with Vanity Fair about the movie. “This movie is not a midlife crisis — it’s a midlife catharsis,” Cooper stated. “Sometimes you realize you’re coasting and you’ve lost your rudder and your North Star in life, and that takes a toll on whoever is in your orbit.”
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