Bradley Cooper's Best Directorial Effort Starring Laura Dern Just Dropped on Apple TV+

Until recently, Bradley Cooper's name was associated with Hollywood mainstream and Oscar ambitions. However, he has achieved an unexpected creative somersault.

His third feature film, Is This Thing On?, released on Apple TV+, is a quiet, intimate, and deceptively simple drama about the dissolution of a long marriage and the path to self-discovery.

Cooper, who has teetered on the edge of sincerity and pretentiousness, has finally taken a decisive step toward the former.

What Is the Movie About?

Alex and Tess Novak have been married for 26 years. They have two children, a habit of keeping their voices low, and an underlying weariness with each other. Their decision to separate matures and is voiced casually on a late-night subway train.

Trying to pass the time, Alex wanders into an open mic bar. To avoid the cover charge, he signs up for a stand-up comedy gig. His ten-minute performance about the collapse of his marriage earns him an unexpected standing ovation.

Meanwhile, Tess returns to volleyball, a passion she had abandoned for her family, and becomes a coach. Something subtly shifts, forcing them to take a fresh look at the person they've spent nearly their entire lives with.

'Is This Thing On?' Isn't Like Bradley Cooper's Previous Movies – 'A Star Is Born' and 'Maestro'

There's almost nothing of A Star Is Born or Maestro here – no grandiose musical numbers, no years of research into the genius's biography, and no Bradley Cooper in the frame as the main character.

The director deliberately retreats to the periphery of his own film, giving himself only a tiny cameo as a failed actor. Instead of seven Oscar nominations, there's quiet festival success and talk of a small, personal statement.

It seems as if Cooper is testing himself: can he hold the audience's attention without epic scale? It seems he passes the test with flying colors. Above all, his direction here is a trust in the actors and cinematographer.

Matthew Libatique, Cooper's frequent collaborator, creates an almost tangible sense of loneliness. The camera doesn't just observe Alex and Tess – it lives their life. Sometimes it appears on a birthday cake, and other times it's stuck in the reflection of a midnight express's window.

'Is This Thing On?' Is a Modern Smart Romantic Dramedy

Is This Thing On? is reminiscent of the best examples of the intelligent romantic comedy genre. While Nora Ephron and her successors focused on the intricacies of developing feelings, this movie centers on the breakup.

Laura Dern is a brilliant choice for the role of Tess. With the rare ability to disappear into a role, the actress creates a character dimension even in scenes where she is not physically present.

Her Tess is neither an abandoned wife nor a feminist icon but simply a woman who spent 26 years as someone's wife and mother and suddenly remembered that she was once someone else.

In turn, Will Arnett gets a well-deserved benefit – his Alex is a confused man who discovers he has material for stand-up but not for life.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Is This Thing On'?

• Is This Thing On? has 86% from critics and 83% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.0/10.

• On Letterboxd, Is This Thing On? scored 3.5/5.0.