After many years together, Alex and Tess decide to divorce and re-enter single life on different terms. Alex pursues a surprise career in stand-up comedy in New York City while Tess reflects on the sacrifices she made for their family and what it means to rediscover herself. With laughter and tears, they must each face new identities and the question: does love really end when the story does?
Navigating co-parenting, reinvention and a world that moves faster than they expected, the couple’s journey is one of self-discovery, flawed ambition and unexpected connections. When Alex’s open-mic night becomes a mirror to his life and Tess’s new path forces her to confront old regrets, both must ask: who am I when I’m no longer half of us?
Directed by Bradley Cooper and loosely inspired by the life of comedian John Bishop, Is This Thing On? blends sincere emotion and comic insight. It’s about middle age, ambition and how we rebuild when what we once relied on falls away.
