🔗 Share this article

Good Fortune, the fantasy film from comedian Aziz Ansari, is facing challenges at the box office. Several reasons could explain the film's reception: Its uninspired title doesn't express the film's unique charm. The script is often preachy and obvious regarding its messages. The performances are uninspired and staged, as if the cast are reciting dialogue directly from the page. And, the film comes at a time marked by financial anxiety and disparity, which could make viewers not very receptive to a narrative which suggests rich individuals have all the advantages while those in need possess heart.

However, here's what Good Fortune excels: It's original, daring, imaginative, frequently humorous, and undoubtedly timely. Plus, it offers a enjoyable the actor hangout movie.

Reeves in the role of Angel: His Typical Performance

Personally, I've never regarded Reeves to be a good actor. His flat delivery and consistent look of mild concern has always seemed limited, despite his broad range of roles he's taken on over the past four decades years. Smart directors have placed Reeves in roles in which his rigidity fits ideally, from My Own Private Idaho to the sci-fi classic to the action series. But almost every one of these characters called for Reeves to appear hardened, closed-off, and detached.

In the film, Reeves portrays an angel, one low-level guardian celestial being assigned with looking after people that use their phones while driving. His whole job involves sitting in their cars and gently making contact with their shoulders as they're about to have an accident, warning the person so they stop in time. However, while standing high above the city, looking down upon the mortal world similar to an alternative interpretation of a celestial figure from Wim Wenders' classic film the angel story, Gabriel becomes aspirational. Gabriel desires to become an exceptional protector and a savior of wayward souls.

A Surprising Shift: Keanu as a Mortal

Therefore, he reveals his presence to struggling odd-jobber a character (portrayed by Aziz Ansari), who is residing in a vehicle and resenting his life. Gabriel then exchanges Arj into the life of extremely rich tech mogul a character (played by the comedian). This idea of the experiment was for the character to realize the wealthy man's life has significant downsides, and gratefully go back to his original circumstances, much like the character from the classic film.

Issue was, Arj immediately discovers how Jeff's problems (tedious appointments, expensive pool-heater bill) prove negligible and easily solved with money. Arj further sees that being rich opens up limitless chances for pleasurable fun. The character has no desire in returning to his own situation, and the angel is unable to compel Arj to return. Subsequently, additional trouble arrives: Because of overstepping his mandate and disrupting the balance of the world, Gabriel loses his position from his celestial role, and transformed into a mortal.

The Revelation: The Actor Smiles

I was never convinced by Reeves playing an angel who has big dreams and a burning wish to effect change. He delivers the same somewhat constipated performance he has consistently providing for at least the last 3 decades. Watching Reeves in the role of angel that has just become mortal for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be a blast, due to something which really surprised me initially: This is something different for the actor. Or perhaps more accurately, something from the past.

Early during the character's baffling career as a human, staying with Jeff (whom the angel exchanged with Arj's hand-to-mouth existence and underemployed situation), Gabriel starts tentatively experimenting with human experiences like chewing and swallowing food. Then Reeves smiles. Genuinely, hesitantly, happily beams. (This is a lot much believable than the grin on the poster, that appears digitally altered.)

Why This Smile Is Significant

It truly surprised me to realize just how unexpected and refreshing that smile was. At what point did we last audiences saw Keanu Reeves smile in a movie where he wasn't expressing malice, irony, or resentment? The actor likely tries it somewhere in 2020's ill-conceived Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I am not going to returning to the mess to confirm. The actor has remained typecast with serious, violent, broody, or just serious roles for so long that merely seeing Reeves smile felt like seeing a completely different actor.

While the plot progresses, the character finds himself having to get a dishwashing job, which doesn't pay sufficient for survival, and Gabriel begins chain-smoking due to frustration. Simply the sight of the actor in a cheap plastic food-service hat, his late-career signature long hair pulled back in an unglamorous bun, slouching against a building and puffing on a cigarette, is worth watching. The dishwasher getup completely changes his face and body: Suddenly, the slim, suited physical powerhouse of his famous films becomes gawky, ordinary, and much increasingly human.

A Joy of Watching Keanu Relax

The film is not always fun to view, particularly when the director (who also wrote the screenplay) has to create plausible explanations for {Ar