Is This Thing On?

Meanwhile, Tess, a former Olympic volleyball champ, considers returning to the sport as a coach and even dating. She and Alex remain on good terms, often approaching their situation with open communication, even when it hurts. Visiting Alex in his spartan single-dad apartment, she breaks down when she notices he bought the kids the same brand of light-up toothbrushes for his place. They can’t just shut off a 20-year connection. This builds to a devastating scene where Alex gets his first 10-minute spot and talks about his sex life with Tess, comparing it to his first sexual encounter as a newly single man. The problem is that Tess shows up at the club with a date (Peyton Manning, for some reason). She not only learns about Alex’s new passion for comedy but must listen as Alex shares intimate details about them with strangers. Whatever initial betrayal she feels, she cannot help but smile and, afterward, admit, “It’s hot.” Then, Alex and Tess begin to have an affair while keeping it secret from their friends, and especially their sons.

Cooper’s direction and camerawork draw from the manic energy of his work with David O. Russell on Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013). He orchestrates chaotic moments with effortless clarity, particularly in scenes involving Alex’s parents: the thoughtful and warm Jan (Ciarán Hinds) and the unfiltered Marilyn (Christine Ebersole). There’s lots of shouting and overlapping dialogue, contrasted by the open-hearted conversations mined with long-held resentments and overdue honesty. One devastating scene finds Alex explaining to his boys, who have discovered his joke notes, that his stage stories, while rooted in truth, are make-believe. Whether it’s a stage performance or domestic scene, Cooper’s direction can be summed up by one imperative: naturalism. Every performance feels lived-in and authentic, offering a pleasant variation on many of the dynamics in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story (2019). Arnett, in particular, delivers his best work to date, giving a vulnerable performance that undoubtedly draws from his experiences as a divorcé who maintains a strong relationship with his former partner.

In each of his three directorial efforts, Cooper’s aesthetic choices have been tailored to the material. For A Star Is Born, he and cinematographer Matthew Libatique alternated between a realistic grit and showbiz gloss to reflect the dichotomy between authenticity and performance that drives the film’s themes. A similar visual dynamic played out in Maestro, albeit to more pronounced degrees, given that film’s pointed monochrome passages and fanciful movie musical sequences. For Is This Thing On?, Cooper’s primary concern is a casual, worn-in feel, imparting the narrative’s emotional realism concerning long-term relationships. Libatique’s handheld cameras underscore the improv vibe throughout; however, as in A Star Is Born, his close-ups sometimes come too close for comfort, presenting an invasive distraction. This is especially true during Alex’s stage performances and the final scene, the result of a subplot about the twin boys practicing for a school concert. They perform a cover of the Queen and David Bowie duet “Under Pressure,” with its refrain “Why can’t we give love that one more chance?” being a tad too on-the-nose given the subject matter.

Regardless, Cooper remains a committed artist who has now made three films about how performers grapple with the personal and professional overlap in their lives. This is most beautifully shown in Is This Thing On? when Alex walks out on Tess during an argument and steps onto the stage in a fluid transition. He proceeds to have an on-stage breakdown about relationships. Afterward, Alex’s father tells him to “Give yourself the grace to work through all of this”—a theme echoed by a scene, perhaps inspired by a similar one in The Big Chill (1983), when Sean Hayes leads an impromptu kitchen rendition of “Amazing Grace” while preparing a breakfast spread. It’s another pointed song choice for a film about finding grace—a state of love and forgiveness that leads to redemption. Both Tess and Alex realize they’ve been blaming their partner for their sense of self-worth and personal validation rather than exploring the actual source of their discontentment. When marriages last as long as theirs, it’s easy for the line between “me” and “us” to blur. And with this terrifically acted and written film, Cooper offers a thoughtful, funny, and earnest look at what tears long-married couples apart and what pulls them back together.