"Is This Thing On?" - Good Question

Alex Novak (Will Arnett) is undergoing a separation from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), and decides to do stand-up at an open mic night when he cannot afford the door charge, and in talking about his life he gets a few laughs, an finds a new lease on life.

(Credit: IMDB)
The third directorial effort from Bradley Cooper could have been 90 minutes and a relatively strong, low key debut from a new standup or aspiring filmaker, or even a sweet much-needed and long-overdue character piece and leading role for Will Arnett (who, to be fair, is fantastic in this and the reason I watched). Instead Cooper has gorged himself on a self-indulgent platter of budget mumblecore mediocrity and boredom, sustained only by the good graces of Laura Dern (as most movies are) who is a miracle worker pulling her part out of the depths of "dickhead" and a rather excellent Arnett. The script wants to be an intimate slice of life and 70s "anti-rom-com" where the characters have scenes of them simply getting along as they make breakfast, chattering with their kids, doing the school run, together but not and trying to capture that intimacy which once was; so that when Alex turns to stand up, we see his life blossom from the misery he was in, and thrive anew as he realises what was important.
Unfortunately the script is drowning in the cum of its self-satisfied writers (Cooper, Arnett and Mark Chappell): Laura Dern at one point is made to deliver the line "You don't love me, you love the idea of me" and it's like watching her recite Oasis lyrics at gunpoint: though she is Larua Dern so she does manage to come out of this with some dignity, it's still rough. You can feel every "future acting class" seep through the celluloid, aided in no small part by Cooper's direction.
I hate this.
There were sparks of brilliance in the work: the stand up scenes capture that anxiety, that swell of the crowds, the heaving underground clubs, and the thrill as it takes off. Those are where it shines, though I can see some pretentious wankers responding well to the catnip of the facsimile quasi-spontaneous discourse. But if that's what you're after, watch something like "Drinking Buddies": it just makes Arnett's performance infuriating, as it's in service of this overlong dirge in the trenches of Cooper's exceeded reach. A trio of supporting characters stop the film dead during one of its many detours, led by Christine (a particularly odious encapsulation of everything wrong with the scripting, right down to her sitting down and delivering fancy theatrical monologues to Laura Dern. No hatred to Andra Day in the part, she's not the problem here) just to sing "Amazing Grace" whilst placing plates down. For you see, dear viewer, Alex and Tess once were lost, right, but, get this, now they are found!

This isn't "A Good Person", but the alarm bells began ringing. There are enough little bits like that to really rustle my jimmies: the volleyball comparisons (get it? She was a volleyball player in her prime, right, and much like the ball her marriage has come back down to Earth), the use of "Under Pressure" for the finale (because "Give Love a Chance", "This is our last chance". Though much like that fairly dreadful album "Hot Space" it is the token soaring highlight) and the constant conversations about marriage. I get it, I want a diet of more emotionally engaging, knotty, interesting movies - I've complained about it here multiple times and it's a common refrain. I appear to be in the minority here, and it's fine.
Oh, and Cooper plays Balls (har-har), the husband of Christine and the kooky comic relief support character and best friend, who is supposed to be funny and charming (delivering the big turning point advice in the final act): but Cooper is not charming enough to pull it off.
I slept on this film after seeing it because I was tired and not expecting it to be 2 FUCKING HOURS LONG, thinking that I'd be nicer. But holy fuck my sleep has just refilled my bile tanks.
Yes, Cooper's not good in the part and I realised that I don't like him: he's been something on the periphery existing for a while now, vaguely there but not something I'm interested in. He's the equivalent of bean bags.
And yes, this has made the penny drop and have me go "fuck I don't like this guy." however his character is a little emblem of the film: middle class smugness and mediocrity as wealthy shitheels vent about their non problems to fellow wankers rather than going to therapy. And Will Arnett does go "Oh Jesuc Fucking Christ" when Balls arrives at his flat, in the most relatable part of the movie.
OH and ANOTHER THING!
"Is This Thing On?" refers not to the microphone but their marriage, get it? Get it? DO YOU FUCKING GET IT?!
I loved Arnett and hope that he gets a shitload of work off the back of this, and I liked Chloe Radcliffe as the comedian-magician: I want an indie movie from her.
"Wild At Heart" was playing in the same cinema at the same time I saw this, I should have watched that.
Fuck me.