The first two films made by the actor-turned-director Bradley Cooper – “A Star Is Born” and “Maestro” – were rich in “showy pizzazz and ostentatious directorial flourishes”, said Wendy Ide in The Observer. By contrast, his latest, which is loosely based on the life of the British comedian John Bishop, is “refreshingly informal and intimate”. With the story relocated to New York, it stars Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) as Alex, a “slightly crumpled middle-aged man” whose marriage is running out of steam. He stumbles into comedy when he goes to a West Village bar and signs up to an open-mic night as a way of avoiding the $15 (£11) cover charge. After a couple of minutes on stage, he draws “a few laughs” from his audience – which is enough to spur him on to do more. Arnett, whose voice alone “speaks of two-day stubble, cigarettes and disappointment”, is excellent, as is Laura Dern as his wife; and Cooper pops up too in a “scene-stealing” role as Will’s best friend. Alex’s comedy isn’t “based on jokes”, it is “rambling, dislocated and droll”, and the film’s screenplay (by Cooper) “takes the same approach”. The result is “unassuming, amiable storytelling that sneaks up on you”.
This is a “likeable and spirited” movie featuring a typically “committed” central performance by Arnett, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. But I did find myself wondering: shouldn’t a film about comedy be, well, funny? It struck me as “perfectly watchable”, said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday, but the dialogue is annoyingly “mumbled” and the camera work “wobbly”. Overall, “Is This Thing On?” is “very slight and a tad slow too. The result is not quite comedy but not quite drama either, and while you’ll leave undeniably heart-warmed, you’ll also feel slightly short-changed.”
‘Refreshingly informal’ film based on the life of British comedian John Bishop
