With his first two films as director, “A Star Is Born” and “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper has established himself as a talented film maker with a good eye for both creative professions and relationships.

Cooper continues to build that strong resume with his latest, “Is This Thing On?”, a more scaled-back but still insightful look at relationships. Working from a script he co-wrote with star Will Arnett and Mark Chappell, it’s a film that finds the right balance between laughs and drama — anchored by strong work from Arnett and Laura Dern.

Arnett and Dern play Alex and Tess, who as the film opens are separated with their marriage basically hanging by a very flimsy thread. Tess is living with the couple’s two twin sons while Alex has a small apartment to himself.

One night Alex pops into a comedy club for a drink, but since he doesn’t have the cash to pay for the cover charge he signs up for open mic night. When Alex gets up on the stage his set turns into a therapy session with his material being just Alex working out the frustrations of his relationship.

It is so therapeutic that Alex continues to go back, honing his comic craft while also working through his marital issues. As his act evolves and he gains more confidence it is all put to the test when Tess comes in one night on a date (former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning in one of 2025’s most surprising supporting roles), and both Tess and Alex come to realize that maybe the relationship is worth saving after all.

“Is This Thing On?” is based on the true story of English comic Joseph Bishop, whose career began in a similar fashion. One can’t help but think also about similarities to the 1988 film “Punchline” with Sally Field and Tom Hanks, although this proves to be a much better film about comedy and relationships.

The night club scenes feel authentic, with Arnett’s material a strong mix of laughs and some rather cringe moments. You can sense he’s working through his issues almost in real time onstage and Arnett’s performance captures that awkwardness quite well.

Cooper also uses real comics to add to the authenticity that proves to be a strength of the film.

Just that side of “Is This Thing On?” is enough to make it worth your time, but what takes it to another level is the way the film carefully examines this relationship in an honest and relatable manner.

Alex and Tess are both likable people and the film does a good job of making the audience root for this couple to be happy, even if it means they aren’t together.

This is also a wonderful supporting cast to flesh this out — friends of the couple played by Cooper, Andra Day and Sean Hayes are all fleshed out effectively.

Ciarán Hinds and Christine Ebersole are very good as Alex’s parents, while Amy Sedaris has some nice moments as the club’s owner.

It all adds up to a film full of surprises at every turn with an emotional punch that sneaks up on you. It’s one of the best films of 2025.

Grade: A-