“Is This Thing On” may be about a stand-up comic, but it’s no laughing matter when it comes to awards.
Searchlight Pictures has confirmed exclusively to Variety that Bradley Cooper’s latest film, “Is This Thing On,” will compete in the drama categories at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards, with stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern both campaigning for lead acting consideration.
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A tender, funny and emotional story, “Is This Thing On” follows Alex and Tess (Arnett and Dern), a longtime couple navigating the fragile aftermath of an amicable divorce. As they attempt to co-parent their two sons while maintaining overlapping friendships, Alex begins to rediscover himself through an unexpected new hobby — one that forces him to confront how he’s changed and the parts of his relationship that never will.
While “Is This Thing On” fits naturally in the drama field, the move is also strategically sound. This year’s dramatic lineup, though rich in prestige titles, is notably less crowded than the more glamorous and high-profile comedy or musical categories. Only a few sure-fire contenders — including Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” from Focus Features and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” from Warner Bros. — are expected to dominate the conversation.
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By contrast, the comedy or musical field is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory. Between Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” Craig Brewer’s “Song Sung Blue” and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked: For Good,” studios are battling for just six available slots. Add late-season contenders like Neon’s “No Other Choice,” Searchlight’s “The Testament of Ann Lee” and Netflix’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story,” and the category is overflowing with high-profile, star-driven campaigns.
Cooper directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Arnett and Mark Chappell. The film marks Cooper’s most vulnerable and introspective work to date, trading the grand sweep of “Maestro” for something more intimate and human. While it features moments of levity, its raw emotional core — dealing with endings, reinvention and the quiet ache of love lost — makes its placement in the drama category a natural fit.
Searchlight is positioning “Is This Thing On” as a true acting showcase for Arnett’s dramatic range — his first leading role in a major drama. Long beloved for his comedic work in series such as “Arrested Development” and “BoJack Horseman,” Arnett delivers a performance that redefines expectations, finding depth and heartbreak beneath his trademark wit. He was recently honored with the Luminary Award at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
Dern, a five-time Golden Globe winner and Oscar winner for “Marriage Story,” brings fiery truth to the role of Tess, a woman wrestling with acceptance and independence after years of emotional codependence. Both actors’ chances of landing in lead lineups have improved with the film’s placement in the drama field.
Cooper, who has received six Golden Globe nominations and 12 Oscar nominations across acting, writing and best picture categories, continues to showcase himself as one of Hollywood’s most versatile filmmakers. If “Is This Thing On” earns a best picture nom, Cooper would tie Greta Gerwig’s record as only the second filmmaker in history to have their first three directorial features — “A Star Is Born,” “Maestro” and now “Is This Thing On” — nominated for best picture. Gerwig achieved the feat with “Lady Bird,” “Little Women” and “Barbie.”
With “Is This Thing On,” Cooper, who also has a scene-stealing role in the film, offers an emotionally unguarded reflection on modern love and what remains when the laughter fades. It’s at times funny, nearly always tender and quietly devastating.
The film had its world premiere as the closing night selection of the New York Film Festival and currently holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. “Is This Thing On?” will be released theatrically in the U.S. on Dec. 19.
The Golden Globe nominations will be revealed on Dec. 8. Updated predictions for both film and television categories are listed below.
Golden Globes Predictions Tracking
(Oct. 31, 2025)
Film
Best Picture (Drama)
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
“The Secret Agent” (Neon)
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Alternates: “It Was Just an Accident” (Neon); “A House of Dynamite” (Netflix); “Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Jay Kelly” (Netflix)
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Alternates: “No Other Choice” (Neon); “The Testament of Ann Lee” (Searchlight Pictures); “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story” (Netflix)
Actor (Drama)
Joel Edgerton, “Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Colin Farrell, “Ballad of a Small Player” (Netflix)
Oscar Isaac, “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine” (A24)
Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” (Neon) ***
Alternates: Will Arnett, “Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures); Daniel Day-Lewis, “Anemone” (Focus Features); Jeremy Allen White, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” (20th Century Studios)
Actor (Comedy or Musical)
Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” (A24) ***
Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Hugh Jackman, “Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Josh O’Connor, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story” (Netflix)
Channing Tatum, “Roofman” (Paramount Pictures)
Alternates: Lee Byung-hun, “No Other Choice” (Neon); George Clooney, “Jay Kelly” (Netflix); Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia” (Focus Features)
Actress (Drama)
Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
Laura Dern, “Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures)
Jennifer Lawrence, “Die My Love” (Mubi)
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Sydney Sweeney, “Christy” (Black Bear Pictures)
Tessa Thompson, “Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Alternates: Lucy Lui, “Rosemead” (Vertical); Julia Roberts, “After the Hunt” (Amazon MGM Studios); June Squibb, “Eleanor the Great” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (A24)
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) ***
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee” (Searchlight Pictures)
Emma Stone, “Bugonia” (Focus Features)
Alternates: Pamela Anderson, “The Naked Gun” (Paramount Pictures); Olivia Colman, “The Roses” (Searchlight Pictures); Jodie Foster, “A Private Life” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
Paul Mescal, “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
Adam Sandler, “Jay Kelly” (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Alternates: Delroy Lindo, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.); William H. Macy, “Train Dreams” (Netflix); Andrew Scott, “Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, “The Smashing Machine” (A24)
Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) ***
Regina Hall, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Gwyneth Paltrow, “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Alternates: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value” (Neon); Amy Madigan, “Weapons” (Warner Bros.); Hailee Steinfeld, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Marvel Studios)
“Kpop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)
“Lilo and Stitch” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“A Minecraft Movie” (Warner Bros.)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Superman” (DC Studios)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Alternates: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Marvel Studios); “How to Train Your Dragon” (Universal Pictures); “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)
Directing
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Kleber Mendonça Filho, “The Secret Agent” (Neon)
Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident” (Neon)
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Alternates: Park Chan-wook, “No Other Choice” (Neon); Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures); Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Screenplay
“Bugonia” (Focus Features) — Will Tracy
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) — Maggie O’Farrell and Chloé Zhao
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Paul Thomas Anderson
“Sentimental Value” (Neon) — Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt ***
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ryan Coogler
Alternates: “It Was Just an Accident” (Neon) — Jafar Panahi; “Jay Kelly” (Netflix) — Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer; “The Secret Agent” (Neon) — Kleber Mendonça Filho
Original Score
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) — Max Richter
“Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Hildur Guðnadóttir
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix) — Volker Bertlemann
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Jonny Greenwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ludwig Göransson ***
Alternates: “F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — Hans Zimmer; “Jay Kelly” (Netflix) — Nicholas Britell; “The Testament of Ann Lee” (Searchlight Pictures) — Daniel Blumberg
Original Song
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — “Drive” by John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Blake Slatkin
“KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix) — “Golden” by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick ***
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — “I Lied to You” by Ludwig Göransson and Raphael Saadiq
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — “Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” by Miles Caton, Ludwig Göransson and Alice Smith
“The Testament of Ann Lee” (Searchlight Pictures) — “Cloth by the Sun” by Daniel Blumberg
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) — “The Girl in the Bubble” by Stephen Schwartz
Alternates: “Highest 2 Lowest” from “Highest 2 Lowest” (A24/Apple Original Films); “Waiting on a Wish” from “Snow White” (Walt Disney Pictures); “Train Dreams” (Netflix) — “Train Dreams” by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner
Animated Feature
“Arco” (Neon)
“Elio” (Pixar)
“KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix) ***
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” (GKids)
“Ne Zha 2” (A24)
“Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Alternates: “The Bad Guys 2” (DreamWorks Animation); “In Your Dreams” (Netflix); “Scarlet” (Crunchyroll)
Non-English Language Film
“It Was Just an Accident” (Neon) — France
“No Other Choice” (Neon) — South Korea
“Nouvelle Vague” (Netflix) — France
“The Secret Agent” (Neon) — Brazil
“Sentimental Value” (Neon) — Norway ***
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” (U.S. Distributor TBD) — Tunisia
Alternates: “Belén” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Argentina; “Sirāt” (Neon) — Spain; “Sound of Falling” (Mubi) — Germany
Podcast of the Year
“Call Her Daddy”
“Good Hang with Amy Poehler” ***
“SmartLess”
“The Joe Rogan Experience”
“This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von”
“Up First from NPR”
Alternates: The Daily (The New York Times); “Dateline NBC”; “Pod Save America”
TV
TV Series (Drama)
“Andor” (Disney+)
“The Diplomat” (Netflix)
“The Pitt” (HBO Max) ***
“Severance” (Apple TV)
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
“Task” (HBO Max)
Alternates: “The Gilded Age” (HBO Max); “The Lowdown” (FX); “The Morning Show” (Apple TV)
TV Series (Comedy)
“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
“The Paper” (Peacock)
“The Studio” (Apple TV) ***
“Wednesday” (Netflix)
Alternates: “The Bear” (FX); “The Chair Company” (HBO Max); “I Love L.A.” (HBO Max); “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix)
TV Limited Series/TV Movie
“Adolescence” (Netflix) ***
“All Her Fault” (Peacock)
“Black Mirror” (Netflix)
“Dying for Sex” (FX)
“The Girlfriend” (Prime Video)
“The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox” (Hulu)
Alternates: “Death by Lightning” (Netflix); “Dope Thief” (Apple TV); “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” (Netflix)
TV Actor (Drama)
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter: Resurrection” (Paramount+)
Ethan Hawke, “The Lowdown” (FX)
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us” (HBO Max)
Mark Ruffalo, “Task” (HBO Max)
Adam Scott, “Severance” (Apple TV)
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt” (HBO Max) ***
Alternates: Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise” (Hulu); Diego Luna, “Andor” (Disney+); Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses” (Apple TV)
TV Actor (Comedy)
Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix)
Domhnall Gleeson, “The Paper” (Peacock)
Glen Powell, “Chad Powers” (Hulu)
Tim Robinson, “The Chair Company” (HBO Max)
Seth Rogen, “The Studio” (Apple TV) ***
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Alternates: Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside” (Netflix); Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu); Benito Skinner, “Overcompensating” (Prime Video)
TV Actor (Limited/TV Movie)
Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit” (Netflix)
Michael Chernus, “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy” (Peacock)
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence” (Netflix) ***
Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief” (Apple TV)
Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” (Netflix)
Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me” (Netflix)
Alternates: Paul Giamatti, “Black Mirror” (Netflix); Jude Law, “Black Rabbit” (Netflix); Michael Shannon, “Death by Lightning” (Netflix)
TV Actress (Drama)
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show” (Apple TV)
Kathy Bates, “Matlock” (CBS)
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age” (HBO Max) ***
Britt Lower, “Severance” (Apple TV)
Keri Russell, “The Diplomat” (Netflix)
Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus” (Apple TV)
Alternates: Kim Kardashian, “All’s Fair” (Hulu); Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu); Taylour Paige, “It: Welcome to Derry” (HBO Max)
TV Actress (Comedy)
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Sabrina Impacciatore, “The Paper” (Peacock) ***
Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday” (Netflix)
Rachel Sennott, “I Love L.A.” (HBO Max)
Jean Smart, “Hacks” (HBO Max)
Alternates: Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix); Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear” (FX); Sarah Jessica Parker, “And Just Like That…” (HBO Max)
TV Actress (Limited/TV Movie)
Patricia Arquette, “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” (Hulu)
Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me” (Netflix)
Meghann Fahy, “Sirens” (Netflix)
Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault” (Peacock)
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex” (FX) ***
Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” (Peacock)
Alternates: Toni Collette, “Wayward” (Netflix); Kaitlyn Dever, “Apple Cider Vinegar” (Netflix); Robin Wright, “The Girlfriend” (Prime Video)
TV Supporting Actor
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence” (Netflix) ***
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show” (Apple TV)
Walton Goggins, “The White Lotus” (HBO Max)
Tom Pelphrey, “Task” (HBO Max)
Sam Rockwell, “The White Lotus” (HBO Max)
Tramell Tillman, “Severance” (Apple TV)
Alternates: Patrick Ball, “The Pitt” (HBO Max); Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio” (Apple TV); Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus” (HBO Max)
TV Supporting Actress
Nicole Beharie, “The Morning Show” (Apple TV)
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence” (Netflix) ***
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks” (HBO Max)
Allison Janney, “The Diplomat” (Netflix)
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio” (Apple TV)
Alternates: Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus” (HBO Max); Parker Posey, “The White Lotus” (HBO Max); Aimee Lou Wood, “The White Lotus” (HBO Max)
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