The holiday time is ushering in some nifty, or at least interesting, gifts for Bay Area movie fans.<\/p>\n
Major releases due in theaters this week include \u201cAnaconda,\u201d \u201cIs This Thing On?,\u201d \u201cNo Other Choice,\u201d and \u201cThe Choral\u201d all land in theaters this week. And Netflix is serving up the new tearjerker \u201cGoodbye June.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here’s our roundup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs This Thing On?\u201d:<\/strong> Director\/co-screenwriter Bradley Cooper curbs the flashier filmmaking flourishes that marred his \u201cMaestro\u201d and that understated approach results in one of his best features, an observant and wise depiction on the disorientation and loneliness that happens when a couple separates. Both funny and bittersweet, \u201cIs This Thing On?\u201d begins with the amicable parting of ways between Alex (Will Arnett, who is also co-writer and producer) and Tess (Laura Dern). They\u2019re not angry at each other, just resigned to the reality that they\u2019ve lost their way as a couple. They\u2019ve been married for more than 20 years and have kids but are in a rut, feeling like they\u2019ve missed out. Alex unwittingly thrusts himself onto the comedy stage where he bares his soul. The audience connects to his truth-laced shtick and he\u2019s soon a regular. Meanwhile, former volleyball star Tess craves reviving an on-hold career and pursues a job as a coach and even wades into the dating pool. Their couple friends (Cooper and Andra Day, Sean Hayes and Scott Icenogle \u2013 who are married in real life) and Alex\u2019s parents (Christine Ebersole and Ciar\u00e1n Hinds) react to the \u201cnews\u201d of their calling it quits in a variety of ways; the actor Balls (Cooper) evaluates his marriage to the confident Christine (Day) who isn\u2019t a big fan of Alex. A light but astute touch from Cooper and a smart screenplay from Cooper, Arnett and Mark Chappell make the film seem mature and wise. The stand-up scenes ring true, and are even painful when Alex vents rather than invents on stage. \u201cIs This Thing On?\u201d isn\u2019t flawless and does rely on a couple of plot turns that seem a bit of stretch. You won\u2019t care. This one\u2019s a little treasure that speaks with compassion and believability about the changing nature of relationships. \u201cIs This Thing On?\u201d is gratefully never cynical, just aware that the happily-ever-after scenario doesn’t cover the the scope of what relationships are all about. Details:<\/strong> 3\u00bd stars out of 4; opens Dec. 25 at area theaters.<\/p>\n