Will Arnett is not just Gob Bluth, one of the funniest sitcom characters of all time. He’s much more than that. And no, I’m not Smartassing Smartless his podcast. If you watched Bojack Horseman, you know there’s something deeper and complex inside that funny man. Bradley Cooper, one of Arnett’s real life friends, must have seen it two. I don’t know if Coop made Is This Thing On? for his pal, but it certainly should help elevate Arnett out of his comedian/magician typecasting he’s probably been stuck in forever.
Arnett plays Alex Novak, a typical New York City dad. He’s going through a rough patch with his wife Tess (Laura Dern), like really rough. Alex and Tess separate, and Alex rents an apartment in NYC. After a night out with their friends Stephen (Sean Hayes), Geoffrey (Scott Icenogle), Christine (Andra Day), and Balls (Bradley Cooper, you ok dude?), Alex just wants a drink. To avoid the $15 cover at a bar, he signs himself up to perform stand-up at an open mic night, and in turn finds his salvation/mid life crisis.
Will Arnett acquits himself well to dramatic leading man. For starters, it’s not too hard of a transition: Alex I imagine Arnett wrote in his own voice to make it easy to figure the character out. The stand-up he probably got help with from people like Chloe Radcliffe and Jordan Jensen, who made sure he was funny but not too funny, as most starting stand-ups are. That’s the Arnett we know in public: charming, motormouthy, etc. The wildcard is when he’s not on stage, is Arnett up for it. Thankfully, Will’s life is modulating the onscreen/offscreen persona, so Alex isn’t a reach to figure out for him. In fact, I would argue the best stuff in the movie is when Arnett has to tap into the real sh*t, trying to understand his new reality while also being a good dad and husband. The frustrating juggling act is where Arnett shines brightest, earning the trust his friend Coop put in him as the lead of Is This Thing On?
But Arnett wasn’t alone. Like a good director, Bradley Cooper makes sure Arnett is in the best position to succeed. And what better than an Oscar winner for a movie called Marriage Story? Laura Dern gets to be in the marriage this time with Arnett. The talented actress elevates Tess into a more interesting character than was probably written on the page, as frustrated as Alex, but controlling the decision making so she wasn’t railroaded by the separation like he was. The conversations between Dern and Arnett are excellent, walking the thin line of being real and honest but not unwatchable like some of the worst versions of real fights. It helps a little that Cooper inserts himself as the worst version of an actor friend I could ever want, stealing the vitriol from the marriage. Onstage, Chloe Radcliffe and Jordan Jensen shine in their comedic spotlights, getting the recognition they deserve. If I were Will Arnett, I would also just sit back and react to all the funny stuff coming out of their mouths too. And behind the camera, Bradley the director does a lot of close-up face stuff, fitting the stand-up comedy motif but also drawing the audience’s eyes to the nuances Arnett/Dern are emotionally conveying with a simple smirk or eye glance.
So Will Arnett is gonna be okay, and maybe bound for a bigger and broader Hollywood future, great! However, Bradley Cooper….um, I gotta ask again, you good? Your directing swerving is all over the place. And the casting you have for yourself is devolving you further and further into some sort of male douchebag cycle you must feel you are in. My guy, relax. Your Oscar day will come. Take a chill pill, go to therapy, and maybe get outside your head a little bit, have a little fun making movies.