Is This Thing On? review: John Bishop biopic is let down by bad writing, a bloated runtime and lacklustre comedy
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Is This Thing On? (15, 121 mins)
BRIAN VINER
For those of you (like me) who think that ‘John Bishop’ and ‘great stand-up comedy’ belong in separate circles of the Venn diagram, it is startling to learn that a large chunk of the Runcorn comedian’s life story has been turned into a film directed and co-written by Bradley Cooper, starring Will Arnett, Laura Dern and Cooper himself.
But so it has, and although it is easily the slightest of the three films Cooper has directed, after A Star Is Born (2018) and Maestro (2023), it Americanises in a mostly watchable way the singular origin of Bishop’s comedy act.
Arnett plays Alex Novak, whose marriage to Tess (Dern) has produced two sons but has creaked apart.
Is This Thing On? is based upon a biopic written by the popular Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop
The film stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as the fictionalised counterparts, Alex and Tess Novak
Much-loved comedian John, 59, attending a screening for Is This Thing On? in London earlier this month
They separate, amicably enough, but when Alex is compelled to take the mic at Greenwich Village’s famous Comedy Cellar, he finds he has plenty to say about his marital troubles.
More than that, it feels like therapy. Even better, it’s fun.
He becomes a fixture on the stand-up circuit, which Tess discovers in the most dramatic way possible.
Aided by his burgeoning new career, their relationship gradually begins to heal.
It’s a touching story, and of course true, but unfortunately this over-long film makes it look fake.
The problem is not the acting — Arnett and Dern are very good — but the writing.
Alex might be modelled on a mediocre comic but his act still needs to be funny. It isn’t. His midlife ‘crisis’ feels forced.
Similarly, Tess is meant to be a former volleyball international, but as soon as she breaks into a run it looks as if she has perhaps once seen an elite athlete, but has certainly never been one.
Too much of the narrative rings false. And there are some hugely irritating peripheral characters, not least Alex’s actor friend Balls (Cooper).
Long before the end, Is This Thing On? had turned me off.
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Somewhat improbably, Bradley Cooper’s latest film, Is This Thing On?, is based on a memoir written by the Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop.
But anyone recoiling at the thought of the Hollywood superstar attempting a Scouse accent can relax.
The story has been comprehensively relocated to New York and Cooper even doesn’t take the main role, preferring to concentrate on directing and comic support.
Instead, lead actor responsibilities fall to former Arrested Development star Will Arnett, whose bass tones have ensured that these days he’s probably better known for his voice work – The Lego Batman Movie, BoJack Horseman etc – than his big screen appearances.
John was joined at the screening by his wife Melanie - with the story directed by Bradley Cooper being loosely based on their lives
But he gives it a decent shot as Alex, a man who seeks solace from his disintegrating marriage by signing up for an open mic night and finding he has a modest gift for comedy.
So far, so The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, you might think, although the frocks aren’t as good and Alex, bless him, isn’t as funny.
What ensues is perfectly watchable – despite the wobbly camera work and fashionably mumbled dialogue – but it’s very, very slight and a tad slow too.
Cooper, who plays Alex’s chaotically befuddled best friend, Balls, keeps most of the funniest lines for himself, while Laura Dern is quietly fabulous as Alex’s soon-to-be-ex-wife, Tess.
The result is not quite comedy but not quite drama either, and while you’ll leave undeniably heart-warmed you’ll also feel slightly short-changed.
