 Over the years, we have seen Keanu Reeves seemingly become a better and better person while embracing the stiff acting for which he is known. Keanu has a charm about him that can be compared to Nicolas Cage or Christopher Walken, in that we know their acting as a particular stereotype, and the more they lean into it, the more we love their material. Here, in 'Good Fortune', Keanu goes all the way with it, and he alone pretty much makes the movie worth watching. It's a role you know he's having a blast doing.
The film conceptually comes from the mind of Aziz Ansari, who, over the years, has grown on me and strikes me as someone I should pay closer attention to, as everything I've seen him do, be it stand-up, voice acting, or playing a bit part, has a good dose of entertainment value to it, at least from my perspective. After thoroughly enjoying this as not just a solid comedy but also a decent lesson in appreciating the smaller pleasures of life, I look forward to seeing what else Ansari might have under his hat in his creative filmmaking. In this film, Ansari plays Arj, a down-on-his-luck individual who juggles odd jobs while working part-time in a hardware store. He lives in his car, aspires to be a documentarian, and can't seem to catch a break. Eventually, however, he begins dating his coworker, Elena (Keke Palmer), and, while working on a task for a wealthy guy named Jeff (Seth Rogen), gets hired as his assistant. All the while, an angel named Gabriel (Reeves) keeps an eye on him, hoping to find a lost soul to save, which would, in turn, give him a better purpose as a guardian angel than his usual routine of saving texting drivers. When things take a turn for Arj, however, Gabriel intervenes, presuming he has hit rock bottom, in the hopes of proving his worth to the supervising angel, Martha (Sandra Oh). In his attempt, I won't spoil much, but he doesn't exactly manage to steer him in the right direction. In one last desperate attempt, however, Gabriel tries to show him that being wealthy won't solve any of his personal problems, so he swaps Arj's life with Jeff's. While Arj adapts quite comfortably to his swanky new lifestyle, Jeff gets stuck with the life struggles he isn't used to. As the film unfolds and things seem to get better for Arj, they get worse for not just Jeff but also Gabriel. In an almost hilariously obvious take, Arj fully embraces his new rich-man lifestyle and repeatedly shows that the phrase "money can't buy happiness" is a farce. Meanwhile, Jeff and Gabriel are made to endure struggle and frustration; Jeff with actually having to work hard to try to get himself out of his situation; Gabriel with his constant demotions, as Martha keeps catching him making the problem worse, and intercepting the job of a real lost soul saviour, Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson). There's a lot I like about this movie, and it's not just about who is in it and their roles. I like how the whole problem becomes threefold, and even affects the angel who wanted nothing more than to help in the first place, to prove his worth. The film also does a good job of showing Jeff the things hes taken for granted in his life, which leans more towards the 'It's a Wonderful Life' lessons, but balances it unfairly with Arj acting like he just hit the lottery, and just showing that yes, of course anyone is gonna be happier with their riches and being able to do anything they want at any time (to a degree) because of it. What really makes the film work, however, is that when it's all said and done, there's still a lot of heart to the story after all the fun. It does end on a positive, respectable note, and could become a new go-to for my more gloomy days, when I need this life to remind me of its little pleasures and not to take them for granted. I recommend this to those of us who are big fans of Keanu Reeves' acting style and to anyone looking for a bit of positivity. It's a solid execution of a relatable comedy that will probably leave you with the "warm & fuzzies." 4/5
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