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Bradley Cooper's new comedy film, Is This Thing On?, will be playing on the closing night of this year's New York Film Festival. The film will premiere on October 10 at the Lincoln Centre.
The film marks Cooper's return to a directorial role after 2023's Maestro, a musical biopic which chronicled a part of Leonard Bernstein's life. His latest is said to be inspired by a real story of British Comedian, John Bishop, who entered the stand-up comedy space after the painful end of a romantic relationship.
Bradley Cooper's film stars Will Arnett as Alex Novak, a comedian who finds a sense of community in the comedic circuit. Laura Dern plays his former partner, Tess, whose loss leads him to make a swift career pivot.
The synopsis of Is This Thing On?, as per IMDb, reads:
“As their marriage unravels, Alex faces middle age and divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while wife Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family, forcing them to navigate co-parenting and identity.”
Is This Thing On? chronicles the life of a stand-up comedian going through a midlife crisis
Bradley Cooper gets behind the camera, once again, to capture the intricate human relationships through a human portrait of flawed characters. On the surface, it looks like another confessional project about a man who realizes all his mistakes. However, considering Cooper's past track record, there must be more to it than what meets the eye.
Cooper's 2018 film, A Star is Born, offered a heartbreaking account of two lovers falling in and out of love as they try reaching for the stars. Later, Maestro (2023) also analysed the characters walking on a tightrope while trying to strike a balance between their love and ambition. His latest work seemingly offers the account of a person finding a purpose in his life after falling out of love with someone.
The New York Film Festival describes Cooper's new film as "lacerating and sweet-souled, funny and tender." It seems to be another naturalistic portrait of the human condition brought to life through Cooper's singular vision. For this project, he collaborated with cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who also shot his prior films.
Cooper co-wrote the script with Arnett and Mark Chappell. Apart from Arnett and Dern, Cooper stars in this film, alongside Andra Day, Amy Sedaris, Ciarán Hinds, and Sean Hayes, among others. Searchlight Pictures holds the distribution rights, but the film is yet to receive an official release date after its debut at the premiere.
While in a conversation with the festival's team, Cooper addressed the premiere of Is This Thing On?, saying:
“We are honored and humbled to premiere our film at the New York Film Festival. Earlier this year we had the wonderful opportunity to shoot this story all throughout the city, so it’s very exciting to debut it on the closing evening of the festival. NYC injects an energy into every aspect of filmmaking that just can’t be replicated. I have attended many premieres at NYFF over the years and to have the support and belief in our film from Dennis Lim and his team is an enormous thing for us. Thank you! On behalf of Will, Laura, and the entire cast and crew—we can’t wait!”
He further added:
“I have attended many premieres at NYFF over the years and to have the support and belief in our film from Dennis Lim and his team is an enormous thing for us. Thank you! On behalf of Will, Laura, and the entire cast and crew—we can’t wait!”
The festival further added:
“We are thrilled to close the festival with Bradley Cooper’s delightful third feature,” said Dennis Lim, Artistic Director, New York Film Festival. “IS THIS THING ON? is a film of many dimensions and surprises: a fond tribute to New York City’s comedy scene, a sensitive study of midlife discontent, and a modern-day comedy of remarriage, pitch-perfect in its balance of humor and feeling.”
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As revealed earlier, Is This Thing On? will have its global premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 10, 2025.
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