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IS THIS THING ON?

“Confession Is Good for the Soul, But. . .”

Family Content: -3 Excessive sex, violence, immorality, and/or worldview problems. (Sometimes excessive content such as violence is in otherwise redemptive movies.)

Entertainment Quality:

None Light Moderate Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

IS THIS THING ON? is an insightful comedy about a fortysomething financial accountant, Alex, whose wife, Tess, has decided to divorce him. One night, after parting from a visit with Tess and their children, Alex walks into a comedy nightclub. A friend there invites him to do a stand-up routine on open mike. So, Alex just starts talking about his divorce and gets some good laughs. He keeps doing this, and, surprisingly, Tess notices a positive change in him. So, they tentatively start seeing one another again. Doing the stand-up routine has been like therapy for Alex, and he’s become a more interesting, involved and caring person. However, when Tess learns what he’s been doing, it threatens their renewed relationship.

IS THIS THING ON? is funny and often touching, with superb performances, a feel good ending, a positive view of marriage and children, and a strong belief that people can come back from a planned divorce. However, it has excessive and frequently strong foul language, plus strong lewd humor. So, MOVIEGUIDE® sadly must rate IS THIS THING ON? excessive and ultimately unacceptable.

Content:

(B, C, PaPa, Ho, LLL, SS, N, A, DD, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Light moral, pro-family, redemptive worldview/premise, focusing on a married couple in the midst of a divorce who tentatively decide to get back together when the man starts to overcome his emotional detachment from the world around him, especially from his wife (though he cares about his two sons throughout), with a nice instrumental rendition of “Amazing Grace,” and an actor says he once played the Apostle John in a play, but the characters are generally pagan, and there’s a same-sex male couple among the side characters;

Foul Language:

At least 96 obscenities (including at least 77 “f” words), five strong profanities using the name of Jesus or Christ, and eight light profanities, plus a close friend of the male lead has a crude nickname that’s repeatedly said;

Violence:

No violence;

Sex:

Some strong and light lewd comments about sex, plus implied fornication when a man separated from his wife when she decides to get a divorce sleeps with an unmarried woman in one scene, but man starts seeing his wife again, and they sleep together one night, and chances seem good they’ll get back together, plus two of the man’s male friends are a same-sex couple;

Nudity:

Brief upper male nudity in at last two scenes;

Alcohol Use:

Some alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

Brief tobacco smoking, man seems buzzed from a marijuana-laced cookie, and some people are briefly seen to possibly be smoking marijuana; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Man keeps his personal stand-up comedy routines secret from his wife and children (the wife is in the process of divorcing him).

More Detail:

IS THIS THING ON? is an insightful comedy about a fortysomething financial accountant, Alex, whose wife, Tess, has decided to divorce him. 

 One night, after parting from a visit with Tess and their children, Alex walks into a comedy nightclub. A friend there invites him to do a stand-up routine on open mike to escape the cover charge. So, Alex just starts talking about his divorce and his current loneliness, and gets some good laughs. 

 Alex keeps doing this as the nights continue, and, surprisingly, Tess notices a positive change in him. So, they tentatively start seeing one another again. Doing the stand-up routine has been like therapy for Alex, and he’s become a more interesting, involved and caring person. However, when Tess learns what he’s been doing, it threatens their renewed relationship. 

 IS THIS THING ON? is funny and often touching, with a positive view of marriage and children, and a strong belief that people can come back from a planned divorce. The movie implies that confession is good for the soul and contains a nice instrumental rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Sadly, however, IS THIS THING ON? has lots of excessive and strong foul language, plus strong lewd humor. So, MOVIEGUIDE® rates the movie excessive and ultimately unacceptable. It’s a shame that so much foul and crude language ruined the movie’s feel-good ending.