Is This Thing On?
When their marriage unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) confronts middle age and an imminent divorce, turning to New York’s comedy scene for purpose. Tess (Laura Dern) faces the sacrifices she’s made for their family, forcing the pair to navigate co‑parenting, redefine their identities, and consider whether love can take a new shape.
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Is This Thing On? (2025) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Read the complete plot breakdown of Is This Thing On? (2025), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
After many years together, Alex and Tess have reached an amicable end to their marriage, thus beginning the awkward stage of figuring out how to live separately while raising two boys, Felix and Jude, and maintaining their friendships. After they split, Alex finds himself unable to pay the cover at the Olive Tree Cafe, and so puts his name down for the open mic night at the Comedy Cellar. Alex begins to regularly do stand-up and he has a fling with Jill, a fellow comic. Tess returns to her passion of volleyball, specifically looking forward to possibly coaching in the 2028 Summer Olympics, and starts seeing Laird.
One night, Laird takes Tess to the Comedy Cellar, which is coincidentally the same night that Alex performs as a featured act. Outside, Alex and Tess confront each other about moving on quickly, but the two reconcile and have sex later that night.
When Alex and Tess see their friends Balls and Christine, Balls tells Alex that his separation has inspired him to consider the idea of separating from Christine. Meanwhile Christine says that she has been looking down on Alex due to him reminding her of her past self, and his withering away has also led to herself reconsidering her marriage to Balls.
Tess then receives news of an offer to be the women’s volleyball team’s assistant coach for the upcoming Olympics. Tess is upset however when she hears about Alex hanging a photo of her as an athlete at his apartment, as she later brings up during an argument that it makes it look like Alex was only in love with an idea of her. The two then accuse each other of not having each others back during their relationship, leading to Alex’s next stand up routine to be a bitter rant about relationships, where Alex’s dad Jan is in attendance. He tells his son that his thinking is dangerous and that two people in a relationship need to rub against each other.
Balls visits Alex the next morning and says that he has talked things out with Christine, saying that they are okay with being confused with each other. Alex then shows up at Tess’s door, saying that he was not unhappy with their relationship, but rather unhappy during their relationship and that he wants to be unhappy with Tess. The two then show up to Felix and Jude’s school performance of “Under Pressure” and Alex and Tess kiss.
Last Updated: January 12, 2026 at 08:18
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