Bradley Cooper is far from the shallow now. His newest movie, Is This Thing On?, is his third outing as a combination writer-director-producer. The film stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as Alex and Tess, a couple navigating divorce while Alex begins to explore the New York stand-up comedy scene. Cooper plays a supporting part, marking the first time he hasn’t led one of his own films.
The multi-hyphenate’s previous two stints in the director’s chair saw him take on dramatic leading roles: first as a country musician struggling with alcoholism who falls in love with a young singer (Lady Gaga) in A Star Is Born (2018), and then as the renowned composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro (more on that below). Both performances earned Cooper Oscar nominations for Best Actor, though neither marked his first time capturing the Academy’s attention; his first of 10 total nods was for Silver Linings Playbook, co-starring Jennifer Lawrence. He then went on to additional Oscar-nominated roles in American Hustle and American Sniper. But the actor is also known for his more comedic turns, from his early roles in Sex and the City and Wet Hot American Summer to parts in flicks like Wedding Crashers, the Hangover trilogy, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Keep reading for more about Cooper’s movies and series available to watch on Netflix.
This biographical romantic drama was directed by Cooper from a screenplay he co-wrote with Josh Singer (The Post). It stars Cooper and Carey Mulligan (The Dig) as composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein and his wife, actor Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, whose complicated, lifelong relationship — the highs, the lows, and the music in between — is chronicled in this biopic. “It was an unorthodox, genuine love that I found endlessly intriguing,” the writer-director previously told Tudum. “This is the story I wanted to tell, a love story. Of course, the other irreplaceable element was the music.”
The film, produced by Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), received nominations for seven Academy Awards — including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress — four Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
A follow-up to the cult-favorite satirical comedy Wet Hot American Summer, this eight-episode series brings together a laundry list of stars to reprise their original roles, including Cooper, Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), Paul Rudd (Anaconda), Molly Shannon (Superstar), Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Organized Crime), H. Jon Benjamin (Bob’s Burgers), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and Ken Marino (The Other Two). The show serves as a prequel to the original movie, following the counselors and other employees on their first day at Camp Firewood, where something sinister seems to be brewing in the nearby woods. Cooper plays Ben, one of the overzealous drama instructors.
Based on the 1980s series of the same name, this action comedy follows the eponymous Special Forces unit, whose members are imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit. Together, they escape and set out to clear their names. Cooper portrays Templeton “Face” Peck, the group’s resident smooth talker, who serves as second-in-command behind team leader John “Hannibal” Smith, played by Liam Neeson (The Ice Road). Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (Operation Blood Hunt) and Sharlto Copley (Elysium) round out the main foursome as Bosco “B.A.” Baracus and H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock, respectively. Jessica Biel (The Sinner), Patrick Wilson (In the Tall Grass), and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) co-star.
Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This) stars alongside her husband, Dax Shepard (Idiocracy), who wrote and co-directed this 2012 action comedy about a man placed in witness protection to escape a mobster’s wrath. Charlie Bronson (Shepard) does everything in his power to get his girlfriend, Annie (Bell), to a job interview while evading both sides of the law. Cooper plays Alex Dimitri, one of the criminals hunting Charlie down. Kristin Chenoweth and Tom Arnold co-star.
