A well-meaning but inept guardian angel attempts to save a lost soul but instead makes things worse for multiple people in Good Fortune, debuting on Prague screens this weekend after premiering in the U.S. two weeks back. This good-natured comedy from writer-director-star Aziz Ansari rarely boasts big laughs or especially memorable moments, but at times, evokes the kind of agreeable Frank Capra sentimentality so rarely seen in contemporary cinema.
There’s a great movie buried somewhere inside of Good Fortune. It’s about a guardian angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) whose job it is to place his hand on the shoulder of drivers who are texting while driving, saving them from potentially fatal consequences. But he yearns for greater service, like the great angel Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and while boss Martha (Sandra Oh) cautions him against it, he sets out to save a lost soul.
Gabriel’s quest ultimately results in a mix-up that cannot be undone, and causes Martha to strip him of his wings. And as he transitions to human form after centuries of service from above (just what was he doing before the advent of texting, we wonder), he finds himself working as a dish washer and becoming a chain smoker and facing the same kind of existential crises as those who he yearns to help—but finding joy in life’s small pleasures just the same.
Reeves is incredibly appealing in this role, and it’s his character’s journey—as opposed to the human characters in the film—that gives Good Fortune it’s down-to-earth soul. Unfortunately, the bulk of the movie does not follow Gabriel’s story. It instead charts the varying fortunes of the man he helps: Arj (Ansari) a lowly gig worker who finds himself in crisis when his car—both his means of earning income and his home—is towed from a Denny’s parking lot.
Gabriel wants to show Arj the good things he has to look forward to in the old-fashioned Capra way—but he’s just not that good at it. He shows scenes of Arj and girlfriend Elena (Keke Palmer) living with her parents, and later finding out that their dog needs to be put down, that just don’t seem like much to look forward to.
In an effort to show him that the other side doesn’t have it that much better, he swaps his life with that of Jeff (Seth Rogen) the millionaire boss that just fired him. Only problem: Arj discovers that money does, in fact, make things better. And Gabriel doesn’t have the ability to swap Arj and Jeff back; that can only come from Arj yearning for the simple pleasures of his old life, something that becomes increasingly unlikely.
Ansari, in his directorial debut (following his unfinished Being Mortal, which was cancelled halfway through production following allegations against co-star Bill Murray), show promise as a filmmaker, with steady pacing and some terrific location shooting on the streets of L.A. There’s an earnest, hopeful nature to his work here that feels like a breath of fresh air—and a blast from the past—contrasted against most contemporary mainstream comedies.
Ironically, he’s a lot less effective as the film’s leading man, writing himself a one-note character and playing him with about the same amount of dimensionality. Arj is way too upbeat and good-natured from the outset for someone going through an existential crisis, and we never buy his temptation into the evils of money.
And Ansari, who put in scene-stealing work in series like Parks and Recreation and Master of None, has mellowed out to the point of barely registering here. It must be noted that Ansari went through his own bit of controversial cancellation; Good Fortune is his first on-screen role since 2017, and he seems to be playing it with a mindful eye of not offending anyone.
In scenes of Arj going to the gym and shelling out hundreds on a date, we also get the impression that the filmmaker does not truly understand the plight of the kinds of characters he is depicting, for whom obscene wealth would indeed solve a great many issues. Even though he’s playing an otherworldly figure, meanwhile, Reeves’s angel is utterly compelling as Good Fortune‘s true humble spirit; Rogen, too, is also fun here doing his usual schtick.
And despite the uneven plotting and underdeveloped human characters, Good Fortune ultimately charms through its earnest heart and gentle humor. Ansari’s directorial debut shows flashes of both sophistication and agreeably old-fashioned sentimentality, and Reeves imbues Gabriel with a quiet warmth that anchors the film. Sometimes, even angels need to wing it.
One Response
I thought the movie was very much the Frank Capra style. Thank you for that comparison.
Unlike Jason, I thought Ansari did a great job in his role. People who are struggling aren’t always miserable. Many (and as a social worker, I have met many) people who are even unhoused find joy and fun in what moments they can. Was his portrayal perfect? No. But I have known people ashamed to ask family for help… And he showed that well.
I loved how the three became friends. And I loved how it ended… I thought Keanu took the ineptitude too far. But that’s very Keanu.