The Lovably Fragile Exes of "Is This Thing On?"

"Alex's experience is loosely modelled on that of John Bishop, a British pharmaceutical salesman who, with no standup experience, began performing at open-mike nights at the Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, in Manchester, in 2000. At the time, Bishop was separated from his wife, Melanie, and he later credited his therapeutic forays into comedy, in part, with the salvation of their relationship-and, eventually, with the launch of a performing career."

"He can now also credit that period, of course, as the inspiration for a Hollywood movie, transplanted from Manchester to Manhattan and featuring no shortage of actual cutups, including Chloe Radcliffe, Jordan Jensen, Dave Attell, and Reggie Conquest. But "Is This Thing On?" isn't a dishy, insider's view of the New York comedy scene, and it isn't trying to be. It knows that its best material lies elsewhere."

Alex's storyline draws from John Bishop, a British pharmaceutical salesman who began performing at Manchester open-mike nights in 2000 and credited comedy with salvaging his separation and launching a career. The movie transplants that real-life arc to Manhattan and includes several actual comedians among its cast, yet avoids an insider New York-comedy focus. Cooper has repeatedly returned to marriage narratives, previously portraying fame-driven marital imbalance in A Star Is Born and examining spousal marginalization in Maestro. Both earlier films probed how fame and fortune unsettle relationship power. With this project, Cooper intentionally scales down the scope and moves toward a sunnier tone.

Read at The New Yorker