Good Fortune opens in theaters on October 17.
Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune is a funny, sharp, and sweet time at the ol’ multiplex. It’s an endearing, perceptive life-swap movie that uses modern trials and tribulations to cleverly upend the It’s a Wonderful Life cliche, while still finding a smart and natural way to embrace it.
Parts of Good Fortune almost feel like a writing challenge in their own right: How do you make someone appreciate their life in the throes of late-stage capitalism? Well, Good Fortune not only solves this puzzle but it also delivers a wonderful — and less common for modern times — big-screen comedy along the way.
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We haven’t heard from Ansari in a minute but he’d already proven himself to be a powerful force behind the camera a decade ago with two superb seasons of Netflix’s Master of None (and that engaging third spinoff season he created with Lena Waithe). He’s back here with Master of None co-writer Alan Yang (Parks and Recreation) for a high-concept joke that still feels rooted in a relatable reality. Good Fortune’s honesty makes it a rare comedy that also feels rewarding.
Keanu Reeves, hilariously leaning into his beloved doofus persona, plays low-level Los Angeles angel Gabriel, charged with saving people from car accidents due to texting and driving. He becomes fixated on rock bottom Arj (Ansari), who he sees as a lost soul in need of saving. Only… that isn’t Gabriel’s job. And that particular job’s a lot more complicated than he realizes. Arj lives day to day, using task-finding apps to barely feed and clothe himself. Living in his car, Arj begins a trial run as an assistant for wealthy do-nothing tech bro Jeff (Seth Rogen). But when Gabriel decides to intervene in Arj’s life, everything spirals into a witty, insightful mess.
Keanu Reeves, hilariously leaning into his beloved doofus persona, plays low-level Los Angeles angel Gabriel.
The always-great Keke Palmer is also on hand in a strong supporting love-interest role, as Arj’s co-worker trying to unionize the staff, though if you’re looking for a better display of her comedy chops, one that played in theaters and also did well, check out One of Them Days from earlier this year. Palmer and Rogen were actually holdovers from Ansari’s canceled-mid-production movie from a few years back, Being Mortal, so Good Fortune fees like even more of a triumph considering it miraculously rose from the ashes of a previous project.
Seeing Good Fortune with a theater packed with a bunch of people who, presumably, hadn’t seen the trailer, made for an even better experience. The story has a few more wrinkles than the trailer reveals, sure, but it was clear that many viewers weren’t anticipating anything specific and were loving the ride. So it’s an option — go in as blind as possible. Don’t even watch the videos embedded in this review.
It makes sense that Ansari and Rogen would work very well together on screen, but the surprise joy here is how well Keanu’s Gabriel fits into the mix. It’s a delightful trio of well-meaning dudes who are forced to examine their lives, errors and all. Even Jeff, the rich bastard who just gets to have playtime every day, isn’t a bad person. He’s just ignorant, with huge blind spots. Gabriel, though, really is the key ingredient here. His enchanting innocent presence allows, basically, the film to explain why the world sucks to a child.
Not to get too heavy here at the close, but there’s a James Baldwin quote that resonates loudly these days, and rests at the heart of Good Fortune, which is “Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” This is what the rich, entitled bootstrap brigade always refuse to recognize. The sheer time and energy it takes to eke by. Good Fortune layers this in nicely, wrapping it up in a warm, charming blanket. Just as sci-fi and horror are used to comment on society and the human condition, Ansari does the same through comedy with Good Fortune.