What is an “art monster”? Jenny Offill popularized the term in her 2014 debut novel, Dept. of Speculation, in which a youthful writer dreams of eschewing domesticity and becoming an “art monster” entirely motivated by her craft. But it is not just dishwashing…

In this sense, Is This Thing On? feels less of a piece with Coopers directorial turns and more like a spiritual sequel to David O. Russells Silver Linings Playbook, in which he starred. Instead of ba…