UPDATED with new trailer: Searchlight Pictures has released the latest trailer for Is this thing on? directed by Bradley Cooper. Watch it above.
The comedy’s official storyline reads: “As their marriage quietly unfolds, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she’s made for their family – forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity and whether love can take a new form.” Check out the first trailer for the film below.
The feature film, which will be released on December 19, will make its world premiere as the closing film of the New York Film Festival on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Cooper said the creative team was “honored and humbled” to bring the film to the NYFF, since the city serves as the backdrop for the film. “NYC injects an energy into every aspect of cinema that simply cannot be duplicated,” the multi-hyphenate added.
The cast also includes Cooper, Andra Day, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds and Scott Icenogle. The pic is produced by Weston Middleton, Kris Thykier, Cooper and Arnett, the latter two of whom also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Chappell. British comedian John Bishop inspired the story of the film and the comedian will serve as executive producer.
Is this thing on? marks Cooper’s third directorial effort, following the 2023 biopic Maestro and debut in 2018 A star is born.
“This movie is not a midlife crisis, it’s a midlife catharsis,” Cooper said. Vanity Fair. “Sometimes you realize you’re coasting and you’ve lost your rudder and your North Star in life, and that takes a toll on anyone in your orbit.”
