Haddenham Screen

Tuesday 7 July 2026 at 8pm (doors open 7.30pm) at Haddenham Village Hall

IS THIS THING ON? (15)

121 mins

Director:  Bradley Cooper

Starring:  Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day

Synopsis:

The 2026 comedy-drama Is This Thing On? follows Alex and Tess, a long-married couple navigating an amicable separation while raising their children. As their relationship dissolves, Alex struggles with identity and loneliness, stumbling into the New York stand-up comedy scene, where he begins transforming personal pain into performance. Meanwhile, Tess reevaluates her own ambitions and the sacrifices she made for family life. Despite pursuing new paths and relationships, their emotional bond lingers, forcing them to confront what love, partnership, and happiness mean after marriage. The film blends humour and introspection, exploring midlife reinvention, co-parenting, and the possibility of reconciliation.

This film is loosely based on the tale of how British comedian John Bishop first got into stand-up.

Awards:  

Reviews:

"The characters are so engaging."   *****   TIMES

"Essentially “Men will literally do stand-up rather than go to therapy”, in cinematic form. An appealing tragicomedy-drama, told with veracity and heart by Cooper, Arnett and Dern."   ****   EMPIRE MAGAZINE

"It might not have the awards-bait immediacy of Bradley Cooper's first two pictures, but for me this is the work of a director growing in confidence, who no longer feels the need to flex his film-making muscles in every frame."   OBSERVER

"The film is also a rarity: a smart and charming crowd-pleaser, with natural sweetness. And make no mistake, other filmmakers would have drowned in syrup a tale about two famously dark subjects: divorce and stand-up comedy."  ****  FINANCIAL TIMES

Coming Next:

Tuesday 21 July 2026