James Newberry Composes Warm, Intimate Score for Is This Thing On?
- The Night Temple
- Dec 19, 2025
- 3 min read
Hollywood Records and Searchlight Pictures have released Is This Thing On? (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring an original score by composer James Newberry. Arriving alongside the theatrical release of Bradley Cooper’s deeply personal dramedy, the soundtrack mirrors the film’s delicate balance of humor and heartbreak as it explores love, identity, and family in the aftermath of a marriage.
Newberry’s score plays a central role in shaping the emotional tone of Is This Thing On?, underscoring moments of quiet reflection as well as the film’s more comedic beats. The music complements Cooper’s intimate storytelling, tracing the evolving relationship between two partners as they redefine their connection while navigating separation and co-parenting. The film opens exclusively in theaters today, December 19.
The collaboration began when music supervisor Jason Ruder introduced Cooper to Newberry, whose musical sensibility immediately aligned with the film’s vision. Cooper recalls the unconventional creative approach that shaped the score:
“I wasn’t even going to do a score other than drums. I was just sending James tracks of stuff I would find on YouTube and I’m like, ‘This is the idea. Just explore your brain. Let me see what you come up with.’ There’s also this vocal group I heard when I was doing Maestro, and I was like, ‘I want to hear that to a percussive beat,’ so he came up with that. He’s been wonderful to work with.”
Newberry emphasizes the collaborative nature of the process and the personal connections that shaped the music:
“The process for this score was very collaborative, with a lot of back and forth with Bradley. He made the experience fun and getting to see him create such a touching, entertaining film was exciting. He also allowed me to explore a lot of different ideas, which was creatively very fulfilling. An extra special element of the score was working on the vocals with my wife Mia, which brought a personal touch when hearing the music each day. I have a lot of gratitude to Jason Ruder and the team at Searchlight for all of their support.”
Is This Thing On? stars Will Arnett as Alex, a man confronting middle age and an impending divorce as he seeks renewed purpose in New York’s comedy scene. Laura Dern plays Tess, his partner, who is forced to reckon with the sacrifices she made for their family. As their marriage quietly unravels, the film explores whether love can evolve into something new. The ensemble cast also includes Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, and Scott Icenogle.
Directed by Bradley Cooper, who co-wrote the screenplay with Will Arnett and Mark Chappell, the film is produced by Cooper, Weston Middleton, Will Arnett, Kris Thykier, and Searchlight Pictures.
James Newberry is an award-winning composer known for scores that subvert expectations and push against traditional genre boundaries. His recent work includes Barron’s Cove, Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, HBO’s Enigma, and Natchez, which won Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Tribeca Festival and is being positioned as an Oscar contender. Newberry has also contributed additional music to series including Presumed Innocent, Tokyo Vice, Ozark, and Fear the Walking Dead. A classically trained percussionist, he performs many instruments on his scores and is currently based in California.
Is This Thing On? (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is available now on all major streaming platforms.
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