LOS ANGELES -- Searchlight Pictures' "Is This Thing On?" stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple in a struggling marriage. The dramedy - directed, produced, and with a screenplay by Bradley Cooper - follows Alex (Arnett), who is "seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene." In the newly released trailer, Alex begins his stand-up comedy set with "I think I'm getting a divorce. What tipped me off was that I'm living in an apartment on my own. Yeah, and my wife and kids don't live there, so... That was probably the- the biggest clue."
Will Arnett stars as a middle-aged man who starts performing standup comedy to process his divorce. Arnett came up with the idea after meeting British comedian John Bishop at a party and hearing his real-life divorce story, per Vanity Fair. He then took the idea to his longtime friend Cooper (they met through Cooper's Wet Hot American Summer co-star and Arnett's ex-wife Amy Poehler), while he was in production on , and Cooper agreed to co-write and direct the film.