Shadows on the Wall | Is This Thing On?

Is This Thing On?

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir Bradley Cooper
scr Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Mark Chappell
prd Bradley Cooper, Weston Middleton, Will Arnett, Kris Thykier
with Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Bradley Cooper, Andra Day, Christine Ebersole, Ciaran Hinds, Calvin Knegten, Blake Kane, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Scott Icenogle, Peyton Manning
release UK Oct.25 lff,
US 19.Dec.25
25/US Searchlight 2h04

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Taking a loose, almost documentary approach, director Bradley Cooper skilfully breathes fresh life into this romantic comedy-drama. Scenes feel improvised on the spot, and there's never a false note. The actors clearly relish playing unusually complex and likeable people who are simply trying to do the best they can. Based on a true story, it's also a film that redefines the way we could be looking at relationships.

In New York, finance executive Alex (Arnett) and his former-Olympian wife Tess (Dern) are working through an amicable separation, sad about the new reality as they share custody of their lively 10-year-old sons (Knegten and Kane), with help from Alex's involved parents (Eversole and Hinds). Trying to find an outlet to express his feelings, Alex impulsively takes a slot in an open mic night at a comedy club. And he begins to hone a stand-up set. Meanwhile, Tess decides to try coaching volleyball. And when they meet without the previous baggage, their connection has shifted.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique uses handheld camerawork (often operated by Cooper himself) to keep scenes strikingly intimate. And it's finely edited by Charlie Greene to capture the delicate rhythms of everyday interaction. This approach eliminates distractions in scenes, zeroing in on the underlying emotions that emerge between these people. So even when Alex, Tess and their circle of friends are trading razor-sharp jokes, they also address the compelling issues they are facing.

Both Arnett and Dern find staggering textures in their performances, bringing Alex and Tess to such vivid life that it's impossible for us not to be rooting for them both to succeed, perhaps even together. Their conversations ripple with 25 years of affection and annoyance, and they never overplay the ways they begin to see things through new perspectives. Connections with their sons (and their dogs) are sparky and beautiful. Cooper and Day are terrific as their best friends, who have their own relational issues. And Ebersole and Hinds have wonderful moments of their own.

This is a rare movie that acknowledges that individual problems don't necessarily mean that the relationship itself is finished. So while these characters grapple with deeply personal issues, it's powerfully involving to watch them begin to see their life together through a different prism. There's never a simple solution here, as adjusting your perspective is never easy. But the way the story resolves itself into something hopeful feels like a cinematic miracle. It's also almost outrageously moving and uplifting.

themes, language 14.Oct.25

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