20 Underrated Recent Movies You Might Have Missed
12. Is This Thing On?
Much like Rental Family, Is This Thing On? is a film that many awards pundits expected to see nominated for a truckload of Oscars last year, especially with awards magnet Bradley Cooper serving as writer and director.
But even with strong reviews, Cooper's film flamed out entirely on the awards trail, receiving zero Oscar nods and not even landing a solitary Golden Globes nomination for star Will Arnett.
Furthermore, Is This Thing On? flopped at the box office, grossing just $12 million globally, all of this adding up to an apparent Oscar bait dud.
But Cooper's film was actually a breezy breath of fresh air after his stodgy Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro - a suitably loose character study topped by an outstanding performance from Arnett as a Finance Guy who tries his hand at stand-up comedy during a mid-life crisis.
Laura Dern is also terrific here as Arnett's estranged wife, ensuring that even if Cooper's film wasn't a lofty Oscar hit, it's got plenty to offer regardless.