00:00Is This Thing On? is a new film about a man who seeks purpose in the New York comedy scene
00:05and is part-based on the life of British comedian John Bishop.
00:09I think the best way to sum it up was the fact that this weekend we had a screening in Liverpool
00:14and we had some friends and family there and people who were on the journey with us.
00:20I mean, everyone from our bridesmaids, my best man, to my dad being there.
00:25So our best friends and also people who were at the journey.
00:29So Mick Ferry, who was the comedian who introduced me on that first night.
00:33David Perkins, who owns the Frog and Bucket, which is a comedy club that I was on.
00:38All these people were in the same room watching this story unfold in this film.
00:44And it was a strange thing.
00:47The film came to fruition after actor Will Arnett met Bishop,
00:51who told him that he'd found stand-up comedy in the midst of a split from his wife,
00:55deciding to do an open mic night one evening as he didn't want to pay the cover fee.
00:59We've been on this journey for eight years.
01:01It's eight years since I met Will.
01:03And you never know what the end result's going to be.
01:06And also within the process of filmmaking,
01:10so many people are involved.
01:13And obviously you bring Bradley in, you bring Laura in,
01:15but then someone's going to edit it, someone's going to grade it.
01:18The whole thing is a team event.
01:21And for all of that to happen and come out with something that...
01:25My wife summed it up, Melanie.
01:27She said to me, if somebody had asked me 10 years ago,
01:32they're going to make a film of that period of your life.
01:35She said, that's the film I would have wanted.
01:37Will Arnett says he believes that comedy has a therapeutic effect.
01:41And we all use it sometimes.
01:42We use it to break the ice.
01:44We use it to start a conversation.
01:45Sometimes it helps us navigate our way into heavier emotional things.
01:50Sometimes it lets the air out when you have a big, heavy conversation.
01:55We all use comedy for different ways.
01:58And so there is...
02:00It is a kind of a perfect vessel, especially in our story,
02:05for this guy, for Alex, this character, Alex,
02:08who's inspired by John to sort of find his truth.
02:11Arnett's character in the film, Alex, has a similar experience
02:14getting his start at New York's famed comedy cellar.
02:17And from my point of view, it was something I never intended to do.
02:21And what was happening is that you could talk about
02:24the darker things that are going on in your head,
02:27but you put a kicker on it.
02:28You make it a little bit funny.
02:29And then somebody laughs and it gives you a little endorphin rushing.
02:33And it's...
02:34See, with comedy, it's communal.
02:36So you're sharing something with people and people laugh back at you
02:41and then all of a sudden you're together.
02:44And in that one moment you're together and laugh that you can't laugh
02:48and be sad at the same time.
02:51Even for the moment that you laugh, you're releasing some tension,
02:56as Will says, some depression gets reduced.
Comments