This is an American, somewhat enigmatically titled comedy, that dramatically explores what happens when a marital union fails, and what the husband and wife do to cope.
IS THIS THING ON? Starring: Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, and Ciaran Hinds. Directed by Bradley Cooper. Rated M (Coarse language and sexual references). 121 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
This film was the closing movie of the 2025 New York Film Festival, and navigates ways and means to understand and confront a failing marriage. After 20 years of marriage, Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess Novak (Laura Dern) decide to end their marriage. They realise that to end their union, they have to grapple with decisions about “how” to separate, and what they must do to responsibly look after their two much-loved children.
The film is a dramatic comedy where humour is extracted from a detailed depiction of a failing marriage. Bradley Cooper directs the film, coproduces it, and writes it with Will Arnett. Cooper directs the film in an unassuming way which cleverly grounds the complex emotional connection between Alex and Tess. It is a film that picks up psychological pace that exposes the subtle hurt that Alex and Tess have caused each other over time. Many things happen. After the break-up, Will becomes a popular comedian where he entertains theatre audiences with reflections about his life after marrying and separating from Tess. Tess registers how well Alex performs, and what a good comedian he is, but he hurts her by what he says and how he behaves in public. Will’s father (Ciaran Hinds) tells Will he is behaving dangerously as a comedy entertainer talking about Tess, and he sensibly urges him to take care. The film itself is loosely inspired by the life of British comedian, John Bishop.
Alex and Tess grapple with the realisation that in their own way they both have fostered loneliness in their partner while they were married. After the marital break, Alex decides he would prefer to be unhappy with Tess than unhappy without her, and Tess needs someone who wants to be with her, and takes him back.
The film thoughtfully delivers, in an well-acted and insightful way, a comedy, that illustrates the complex ways marital relationships can fail. Life’s events pressure Alex and Tess to better understand the sacrifices they both have made to be with each other, and under Bradley Cooper’s astute direction, a marital relationship is rethought constructively. The film ends with Alex and Tess wanting to continue being married to each other, but in finding the path forward through fresh awareness and personal pain, we can’t be sure that “final resolves” of the past will last.
Reviewed by Peter W Sheehan, an Associate of Jesuit Media.