Alex Reviews "Is This Thing On?"

Is This Thing On? leans heavily into comedy for its subject matter, but outside of a few big laughs, it is a drama. An amazing drama grounded in realism that can be all too relatable. Focused on Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) as they each face the choices they made and the effect those decisions had on their family, their marriage, and their happiness. Interestingly, one of those choices takes avoiding a cover charge at a bar and creates its own narrative.

Where film can often be fantastical even in the everyday, Is This Thing On? prides itself on being genuine. Every choice makes sense, whether you agree with it or not is part of the journey. The story takes the most common occurrences and drops the audience inside the unravelling of one man’s life as he attempts to respool his thread. Finding solace in the unexpected and taking the time to acknowledge that your own opinion needs to be assessed as times change. It is incredibly touching, even if it feels like one of the longest two-hour movies ever. Three or four false finishes drag the picture further.

It speaks volumes to how incredible Will Arnett (The Lego Batman Movie) is as a dramatic lead that his performance is not bogged down by the bumbling scenes that could have either used some cutting or cleaning up. He is your focus and demands you pull for him, even when he isn’t pulling for himself. I do wonder if other cast members dialed it back compared to their capabilities to allow Arnett to shine. Outside of a few small characters, the rest of the cast is incredibly pedestrian.

Will Arnett will absolutely be in discussion for a Golden Globe, and the screenplay may get some love. Seeing Is This Thing On? in a theater should be a no brainer when it arrives on December 19^th. If only to feel how others feel and the human connection at the core of the film, see Will Arnett’s greatest work on the page and on the screen.