Movie review
December 19, 2025 · 121 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie tells the story of Alex and Tess, a middle-aged couple who decide to end their marriage of twenty years. While Alex tries to cope with the divorce by starting a career in stand-up comedy, Tess works to find her own path as a sports coach. The film features a diverse group of friends that includes a prominent Black female character and a married gay couple. Tess also explores modern themes about the personal sacrifices women make for their families.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Is This Thing On?.
Woke representation / casting
The movie features a diverse group of friends, including a prominent Black female character, Christine, played by Andra Day. It also includes a married gay couple, Stephen and Geoffrey, played by real-life married partners Sean Hayes and Scott Icenogle. Because the film features a confirmed LGBTQ+ couple, this category receives extra weight under our system. The film also casts several real-life diverse stand-up comedians in minor roles.
Woke political dialogue
The film does not have preachy political speeches or activist lecturing. The dialogue stays focused on normal family conversations, divorce struggles, and stand-up comedy routines. Any talk about life choices and family dynamics feels like a natural part of the story rather than political messaging.
Identity-driven story themes
The main plot is about middle-age divorce and self-discovery. However, it contains mild identity themes, such as Tess feeling that she sacrificed her career and personal goals to be a mother and wife. The inclusion of a married gay couple as part of the family circle adds a baseline of queer identity themes to the film's portrait of modern marriage.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The movie looks at the difficulties of traditional marriage and shows one husband who is immature and self-centered. However, it does not attack Western family values or marriage as an institution. Instead, it shows a warm, respectful, and mature view of co-parenting and family bonds.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
There are no notable public complaints, boycotts, or social media outcries from anti-woke groups accusing the film of pushing a progressive agenda. Most online talk is about the acting and the comedy.
Creator track record context
The key creative staff have a mostly moderate history. Bradley Cooper has a score of 24 and Will Arnett has a score of 12. John Bishop has a score of 45 due to his public support for same-sex marriage, and casting director Shayna Markowitz has a score of 35. Overall, they represent a professional team with low political framing.
Production
