Stand-up comedy as an artform has been carefully linked with filmmaking for years, as many nice comics have graced the silver display screen as actors as properly. The very best stand-up specials on Netflix are by comedians who’re largely additionally stars of comedy motion pictures. Even when they don’t seem to be well-known actors, most modern-day comedians take up appearing roles continuously.
Typically, stand-ups take up even larger inventive roles within the business outdoors their stage work. The very best instance in recent times is Mae Martin’s Netflix comedy collection Really feel Good, which was created by the comic and is loosely based mostly on their real-life experiences. The intersection between filmmaking and stand-up comedy has by no means been extra profitable than proper now.
The most important proof of that is, in fact, the extremely profitable present Hacks, which options many actual stand-up comedians in main and minor roles. Its enchantment lies in its exploration of the craft of stand-up comedy and the trouble that goes into writing and performing routine. This topic additionally obtained consideration from director Bradley Cooper in 2025.
Is This Factor On? Is A Sluggish-Burn Relationship Drama
Cooper’s newest characteristic movie, Is This Factor On?, stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a pair who’re within the means of finalizing their separation. Alex and Tess Novak, respectively, who’re dad and mom to 2 boys, have amicably determined to separate and are contemplating beginning divorce proceedings. The film is a lighthearted stroll by means of moments the place the couple reassesses.
John Bishop’s life was the inspiration behind Is This Factor On?, which follows Alex’s journey into stand-up comedy as a way of dealing with heartbreak. He is unwilling to confess it to Tess initially, however he desires to remain within the marriage and makes many efforts to win her over. The movie takes a humorous method to this heavy subject material.
Is This Factor On? fleshes out the aspect characters and focuses on the 2 protagonists’ experiences outdoors their relationship, permitting the film’s world to really feel lived-in and accessible. It is not in a rush to achieve a romantic epiphany, and that is the way it begins successful over even the viewers who usually are not large followers of stand-up usually.
The Film Explores Why Folks Do Stand-Up Comedy
Many harsh critics of stand-up comedy have noticed that it may possibly really feel vapid, as a result of it simply includes listening to somebody supply their opinions on a wide range of topics. Providing opinions, taking stances, and making observations are inherent to most types of inventive expression, although, and stand-up is simply some of the blunt approaches to that form of inventive endeavor.
Is This Factor On? debuted with a excessive Rotten Tomatoes rating partly as a result of it makes stand-up comedy accessible by exploring why precisely Alex is drawn to it. Whereas it does not painting the grueling means of writing a set particularly, it captures the mindset of a dedicated slapstick comedian by means of the assorted glimpses at Alex’s performances.
Is This Factor On? Is A Good Introduction To Stand-Up
As a result of the film decodes the work that goes into being a stand-up comedian, not solely does Is This Factor On? make folks extra receptive to the mentality of stand-up comedians, however it additionally affords the perfect glimpse into stand-up for first-time viewers of the artform. It {couples} portrayals of comedy performances with the depiction of writing and modifying units.
As among the finest comedy motion pictures of 2025, Is This Factor On? may convert viewers who aren’t followers of stand-up, as its depiction of it’s holistic. We see Tess’ response to watching Alex carry out, and we see Alex and his comic buddies discussing why they get pleasure from performing stand-up. The insider perspective helps develop an appreciation for it.
The Relationship Dynamics Are The Film’s Actual Power
Nonetheless, as each evaluation of Is This Factor On? observes, the film isn’t actually about stand-up comedy. It solely explores the protagonist’s curiosity in it as a way of depicting the way it adjustments his life and impacts his relationship with Tess. The evolving relationship of the separated couple is the film’s predominant subject material.
Is This Factor On? additionally focuses considerably on Alex and Tess’ relationships with their sons, who’re fleshed-out characters themselves. The grounded and somber storytelling is by some means ideally suited to a movie that explores stand-up comedy for a big portion of its runtime. Is This Factor On? is in the end a personality research that follows the journey of its characters’ evolution.
Is This Factor On? Is A Should-Watch For All Followers Of Romance
So, no matter your opinion of stand-up comedy, the film’s a must-watch for those who get pleasure from romantic cinema. It’s a love-affirming exploration of the central couple’s experiences with separation and grappling with the idea of being divorced from one another whereas balancing the struggles of being single co-parents. Its optimistic ending feels refreshing however earned, as a result of Alex and Tess evolve.
Will Arnett’s comedic period might finish with Is This Factor On?‘s success, as a result of it clearly proves the actor’s capability to steadiness comedic moments with an overarching dramatic efficiency. It is the sincerity with which Dern and Arnett method their characters and the chemistry they share that makes the film one of many higher romance movies to return out in recent times.