Bradley Cooper’s “brilliant” drama based on John Bishop’s life is now available to watch in the UK

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The comedy-drama Is This Thing On?, based on comedian John Bishop’s life, is now available in the UK. Written and directed by Bradley Cooper, who also appears in the film, it’s receiving praise for its acting.

The movie features Will Arnett as Alex Novak, who is navigating a separation from his wife, Tess (played by Laura Dern). Despite the split being friendly, they need to work out how to best raise their two kids together.

Alex is so short on money he can’t even afford a coffee. Instead of paying, he tries his hand at stand-up comedy and realizes he’s surprisingly funny.

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Following its debut at the New York Film Festival in October and its release in US cinemas in December, Is This Thing On? is now available in UK cinemas today.

The comedy-drama, written by Cooper, Arnett, and Mark Chappell, has been well-received by critics. Currently, 87% of reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes have given it a positive rating, based on 171 reviews.

I really loved how the movie treated everyone it featured. It totally got that for some people, like those comedians up on stage in Greenwich Village, their hobby is their life. Those five minutes at the mic aren’t just a bit of fun, it’s everything to them, and the film really understood that.

According to The Guardian, the show Is This Thing On? begins with a relatable and poignant setup – a divorced father seeking solace in a bar – and skillfully unfolds from there. While funny, the show has a heartfelt core that feels genuine and authentic.

Slant Magazine praised the film as a well-observed and kindhearted work with a touch of the emotional intensity seen in other Bradley Cooper movies, and Deadline simply called it “brilliant.”

So, the idea for this comedy-drama actually started when Will Arnett and Kyle Bishop met. Bishop was telling me about how he became a stand-up, all the hard work and years it took. It really stuck with Arnett, and eventually, he managed to turn that story into a screenplay and get the whole project going.

Michael Bishop, who contributed to the film’s story, shared with BBC News in October that he was having a strange but positive experience seeing his life depicted on screen, calling it “so weird [that] this is happening, but so brilliant at the same time.”

Is This Thing On? is out now in cinemas.

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2026-01-30 15:49