Most comedians are famous in their home country, but few translate to other countries. So it was a huge surprise when it was announced that Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop was having a movie made based on the events that led to him becoming a comedian. Is This Thing On? is a movie directed by actor Bradley Cooper, the third film in his career to focus on a form of show business (the others being A Star Is Born and Maestro). Yet it is more than a story of how a comic became successful, but a drama of a marriage on the verge of collapse.

Alex Novac is a man heading down a road of self-destruction. His marriage to Tess is imploding, and he cannot find a way out. That is, until one night he stumbles into a club and puts his name down to perform a stand-up comedy set. Using chance as a form of therapy, he talks about his experiences in the relationship and his feelings, becoming a minor success while Tess tries to juggle co-parenting and understanding where Alex’s head is.

What Cooper is so good at as a director is capturing the experience of being on a stage. The best moments in both A Star Is Born and Maestro are the performances. Here, he puts the audience on that small stage in the club with Alex, as the camera gives us extreme close-ups of the man as he rambles on about this marriage. We watch as Alex delves into his private life and shares it with complete strangers out for a good night’s entertainment.

Where the film isn’t as successful is in handling the more personal dramas: Alex having to stay on the right side of his children, allowing Tess to be the person she wants to be while trying to make her understand that there is still a spark of hope between them. It does get a little bogged down in sentimentality and comes across like a TV movie.

That’s not saying this is a terrible movie. Not by a long shot. The film is much more interesting to watch as Alex goes from novice to a more confident performer. His routines may not be hilariously funny, but there is a human element that most comedians never share, often distancing themselves from the material. Here, it is brutally honest, and in one scene, it’s almost like watching a middle-aged man being broken by his own life.

The film’s real strength lies in its performances. In a small cameo role, Cooper plays Alex’s best friend, Balls, and it’s possibly Cooper’s funniest role. He is careful not to overshadow his main actors, but he does applaud them for giving some light relief away from the stage scenes. As Tess, Laura Dern is terrific. She always brings an air of naturalness to any of her roles, and this is a mature and charming performance that never goes over the top or becomes just an opportunity for an actress to scream and shout. She is controlled, intelligently handled and utterly believable.

The surprise is Will Arnett. Known for more ridiculous comedies, being the voice of Batman in The Lego Movie and the host of Lego Masters, he delivers a magnificent performance of a man on the edge. In the dramatic scenes, he handles these with great depth and emotional punch, while on stage, his natural comic timing comes to the forefront. Even when the material isn’t that funny, he is still incredibly watchable and brings the world of stand-up to life.

Is This Thing On? is one of those films that is out to win Award nominations but has missed out this time. It might not be perfect, and it does have issues, but on the whole, it’s surprisingly sweet, often laugh-out-loud and worth the time to watch a director with a good understanding of how to deliver performances and two leads who work incredibly well together.

4 out of 5

Director: Bradley Cooper

Starring: Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Bradley Cooper, Andrea Day, Blake Kane, Calvin Knegten, Scott Icenogle, Sean Hayes, Ciaran Hinds, Christine Ebersole, Amy Sedaris

Written by: Bradley Cooper, (also story) Will Arnett, Mark Chappell and (story) John Bishop

Running Time: 121 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 30th January 2026