IS THIS THING ON? (2025): Bradley Cooper’s Third Directorial Effort Set to Close the 2025 New York Film Festival

Bradley Cooper Film to Close 63rd New York Film Festival

Bradley Cooper‘s third film as a director, Is This Thing On?, is set to close the 2025 New York Film Festival.

Bradley Cooper is always a talent to contend with (especially when he’s behind the camera) and his third feature as a director, Is This Thing On?, will close out the 63rd New York Film Festival this year. In 2023, Cooper struck oil with his powerful performance in his own masterpiece, Maestro, and before that, he made box-office magic opposite Lady Gaga in 2018’s A Star is Born. Though his third movie seems like it has a lot of comedy in it, it’s also a dramatic picture as well which is based on the life of British comedian, John Bishop.

Searchlight, the studio behind Cooper’s new film, made a splash last year with the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, which received many award nominations (and wins) and big box-office dollars. The studio may be hoping history repeats itself with Is This Thing On?. Cooper’s latest picture as a director stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple who find their marriage in turnaround after Arnett’s comedian character leaves to pursue his professional ambitions. The title is based on the question that comedians ask when they fail to get laughs and wonder aloud to the audience if the microphone is, indeed, turned on.

Cooper is no stranger to having his work featured at the New York Film Festival. Maestro was one of the best films that played at the 61st NYFF. It went on to be a major hit on Netflix and received many awards and nominations, including wonderful accolades for one of its stars, Carey Mulligan. Also, that’s not to mention Cooper’s recognition for his work as both an actor in the film and as the director of it. A Star is Born also won tremendous praise for Cooper’s work as an actor. Cooper has received multiple Oscar nominations for his work in front of the camera throughout the years.

October 10th will be the world premiere date of the intriguing true story, Is This Thing On?, at Alice Tully Hall on the Upper West Side in the Big Apple. This upcoming dramatic film seems like it could be the definitive mid-life crisis movie and is most likely guaranteed to make audiences laugh and possibly even cry as Cooper examines his complex characters in unique ways which make him a filmmaker to contend with. As each project he takes on seems to be better than the previous, Cooper’s time to get a Best Director Oscar is going to be approaching soon. Could it be for this new picture? Get to the New York Film Festival on October 10th to find out.

Leave your thoughts on the closing night film of the New York Film Festival being revealed as Is This Thing On? below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Apple News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, Bluesky, and Threads. This news was brought to our attention by The Hollywood Reporter.