🔗 Share this article

Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the whimsical comedy from comedian Aziz Ansari, is facing challenges at the box office. Many reasons could account for the film's reception: The uninspired title doesn't express the movie's distinctive appeal. The script can be moralizing and heavy-handed with its messages. Its performances seem flat and presentational, like the cast were reading dialogue straight from the page. Moreover, the film comes during an era marked by financial uncertainty and inequality, which may render viewers less open to a narrative that suggests rich individuals have all the advantages while the poor possess heart.

But, here's where Good Fortune excels: The film is original, bold, creative, often humorous, and undoubtedly timely. And, it provides an unexpectedly enjoyable the actor character-driven movie.

Keanu Reeves in the role of Guardian: His Typical Performance

Personally, I've not regarded Reeves to be a good actor. His monotonal speaking style and consistent look of slight perturbation have always felt one-note, despite the broad range of characters he has taken on over the past four decades years. Astute filmmakers have often placed him in roles in which that rigidity fits ideally, from his early work to the sci-fi classic to the action series. Yet nearly every one of these characters required him to seem hardened, distant, or detached.

Throughout Good Fortune, the actor portrays Gabriel, a low-level protecting angel tasked with watching over individuals that text while driving. The character's entire job is sitting in their cars and gently touching the drivers' shoulders when they are close to crash, alerting the person in order that the driver brake in time. But, when positioned overlooking the city, gazing upon humanity similar to an alternative version of a celestial figure in Wim Wenders' classic film the angel story, Gabriel gets aspirational. He desires to be an exceptional guardian and a savior of wayward souls.

The Surprising Turn: Keanu as a Human

Therefore, he presents his presence to struggling odd-jobber Arj (portrayed by the director), who is residing in his car and cursing his situation. Gabriel then swaps Arj with the existence of stupidly wealthy businessman a character (played by the comedian). This idea of the exercise was for the character to understand the wealthy man's existence comes with significant drawbacks, and gratefully return to his own life, similar to the figure from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem is, the character immediately discovers that the mogul's problems (tedious appointments, expensive heating bill) prove negligible and easily solved with wealth. Arj also sees that becoming affluent provides limitless opportunities for pleasurable fun. The character has zero interest in returning to his previous life, and the angel is unable to compel Arj to return. Subsequently, additional bad news arrives: Because of overstepping his duties and disrupting the balance of the world, the character is fired as an angel role, and transformed to a human being.

The Revelation: Keanu Reeves Smiles

I was never persuaded by Reeves as an angel with grand aspirations and a burning wish to effect change. He delivers the same somewhat stiff acting he's consistently offering for at least the last 3 decades. Watching Reeves as an angel that has recently become mortal for the first time, however, was a blast, due to something which really astonished viewers initially: It's something different for Reeves. Or perhaps to be precise, an aspect old.

Soon during his baffling career being a mortal, staying with the wealthy character (whom Gabriel exchanged into the handyman's hand-to-mouth life and underemployed status), Gabriel begins hesitantly trying out everyday activities like eating and consuming food. And the actor smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, happily smiles. (This is far more believable than his grin shown in the poster, which looks digitally altered.)

Why This Smile Is Significant

It truly surprised me to realize just how surprising and refreshing the smile was. When was the last time we observed the actor grin in a movie where he was not showing malice, irony, or resentment? The actor probably attempts a smile somewhere in 2020's misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, but I am not revisiting the disappointment to confirm. The actor has remained stuck with serious, murderous, broody, or just serious roles for such a duration that merely watching Reeves grin felt like seeing a completely different performer.

While the story progresses, Gabriel finds himself having to take a kitchen position, which doesn't pay enough to live on, and he starts chain-smoking due to disappointment. Simply the sight of Reeves in a disposable plastic restaurant hat, his recent trademark locks tied in an unglamorous ponytail, slouching against a building and puffing on a smoke, proves worthy of watching. The kitchen worker attire totally changes his appearance and body: Suddenly, the lean, well-dressed physical powerhouse of his famous films is gawky, ordinary, and a lot more relatable.

A Joy of Watching Reeves Relax

The film isn't consistently fun to view, particularly when the director (that additionally wrote the script) has to find plausible reasons for {Ar