Bradley Cooper’s ‘Is This Thing On?’ to World Premiere as Closing Film of New York Film Festival

Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? will make its world premiere as the Closing Night film of the 63rd New York Film Festival, on Friday, October 10.

Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the 63rd New York Film Festival will take place from September 26 through October 13.

In Is This Thing On?, Will Arnett and Laura Dern play Alex and Tess Novak, whose marriage has reached an impasse. With amicable sorrow, the couple – parents of two young boys – mutually agree to split up. Yet, their separation leads to unpredictable midlife self-reckonings, most dramatically in Alex’s wild career pivot to become a confessional stand-up comedian in New York City’s West Village, where he finds new direction and camaraderie. This seemingly outlandish scenario—in a script by Cooper, Arnett, and Mark Chappell inspired by the true story of British comedian John Bishop—is never played for easy laughs, while Cooper uses his penchant for naturalism to give the actors space to find their complicated centers.

Is This Thing On? features a stellar supporting cast, including Andra Day, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, Sean Hayes, Peyton Manning, and Amy Sedaris, as well as Chloe Radcliffe, Reggie Conquest, and Jordan Jensen.

“We are honored and humbled to premiere our film at the New York Film Festival. Earlier this year we had the wonderful opportunity to shoot this story all throughout the city, so it’s very exciting to debut it on the closing evening of the festival. NYC injects an energy into every aspect of filmmaking that just can’t be replicated. I have attended many premieres at NYFF over the years and to have the support and belief in our film from Dennis Lim and his team is an enormous thing for us. Thank you! On behalf of Will, Laura, and the entire cast and crew—we can’t wait!” – said Bradley Cooper.

“We are thrilled to close the festival with Bradley Cooper’s delightful third feature,” said Dennis Lim, Artistic Director, New York Film Festival. “Is This Thing On? is a film of many dimensions and surprises: a fond tribute to New York City’s comedy scene, a sensitive study of midlife discontent, and a modern-day comedy of remarriage, pitch-perfect in its balance of humor and feeling.”