Will Arnett faced a major challenge with Is This Thing On? (now streaming on Hulu, in addition to VOD platforms like Amazon Prime Video): Can one of the funniest people in the world play a character who’s kind of trying to be funny but isn’t particularly funny? In an alternate timeline, he’d be an Oscar contender for his take on a sad, divorced, middle-aged guy who’s giving standup comedy a shot. But the film never got much commercial or awards-season traction, despite being the third directorial effort for Bradley Cooper, whose two previous efforts, Maestro and A Star is Born, were drowning in such accolades. So I think the question we have to pursue here is, what’s the deal with this movie?
The Gist: “We need to call it, right?” Tess (Laura Dern) asks somewhat casually as she brushes her teeth and Alex (Arnett)
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