DUBAI: Bradley Cooper’s latest directorial effort is based — loosely — on the life of popular UK comedian John Bishop, so you might expect stand-up to be its focus. It isn’t. This is a bittersweet low-key depiction of a love that has eroded between a couple who’ve been together for decades.
Alex (Will Arnett, of “Arrested Development” and “BoJack Horseman” fame) — a regular guy with a regular job — and Tess (Oscar winner Laura Dern) — a former Olympic volleyball player, now a housewife and mom — are separated, heading for a mutually agreed divorce, and keeping it amicable partly for the sake of their two kids, partly because they still get on well — just not well enough to stay together.
Newly single Alex decides to get a late-night drink at New York’s famed Comedy Cellar. To avoid paying the $15 dollar entry fee, he signs up for a slot at the open-mic night (a part inspired by Bishop’s own origin story). With no material planned, he’s not great, but his self-deprecating, anecdotes about his impending divorce get a few laughs. Most importantly, the experience sparks a new passion in Alex and he continues to perform, befriending other comics who offer him companionship and advice and a new perspective that leads him to re-evaluate his own contributions to his marriage. His newfound spark also makes Tess see him in a new light, one that might just convince her to give him another shot.
What elevates this sometimes-saccharine, not-entirely-believable (exhibit A: the scene where Tess discovers that Alex is using their relationship as comedy material) film above similar fare is the engrossing chemistry on show between Arnett and Dern as people struggling to (re)discover themselves in middle age. Arnett is typically charming and witty as Alex, but brings out unexpected depths of emotion in what may be his best performance to date. Dern imbues Tess Tess with the toughness and independence you’d expect from a successful former pro athlete, but gives equal weight to her vulnerabilities as someone who’s invested so much of her identity into something she can no longer do to the same high standards. Their relationship is so sweetly genuine you’ll find yourself rooting for them both.
