‘Is This Thing On?’ Review: Bradley Cooper’s ‘Marriage Story’ Midlife Crisis Standup Movie Could Use More Crisis of Its Own

“I think we need to call it,” Tess (Laura Dern) tells Alex (Will Arnett), standing over the bathroom sink while brushing her teeth, a serious ask embedded in a moment of profound mundanity. She’s referring to their marriage, which, more than 20 years in and with two small children between them, has run its course. Tess, a former Olympic volleyball player, and Alex might not be unhappy with their marriage, but they’re certainly not happy in their marriage, or in their own lives creatively or professionally. Their split spurs Alex’s unconventional midlife crisis, one without fancy muscle cars or a hot young babe on the arm.

That crisis is the foundation of Bradley Cooper’s blandly reassuring, at times tedious and tunnel-visioned new directorial effort “Is This Thing On?” That midlife crisis also involves a hairpin career pivot, and no, I’m not talking about Cooper’s move into directing,…