Is This Thing On? (2025)

Alex Novak can’t afford the cover charge at a comedy club, so he signs up for the open mic instead, which might be the smartest money move in movie history. The rest is a quiet, grown-up divorce story that runs 121 minutes and could lose a few. The side plot about Alex’s friends rethinking their own marriage feels like a sketch nobody finished. But Will Arnett is a revelation. His stand-up sets are basically him confessing his marriage to a room of strangers, and Bradley Cooper shoots them in tight close-ups that make every awkward pause land. Laura Dern is great as Tess, a former Olympic volleyball player figuring out who she is now, and she and Arnett have prickly, lived-in chemistry. Cooper also plays Alex’s buddy and is clearly having fun. A 7.0 because it’s warm, honest and funny, and a little too relaxed about getting to the point. $98.02 says you open the notes app tonight, type up a few jokes about your own family and delete every single one before bed.

What works: Will Arnett’s stand-up scenes, shot in close-up, are raw and funny, and his chemistry with Laura Dern feels lived in.

What doesn’t: At 121 minutes it drifts, and the subplot about their friends’ shaky marriage never earns its screen time.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has stayed friends with an ex and has strong opinions about open mic night.