Good Fortune (Theatrical)

Good Fortune may have some narrative fumbles, but it remains an amusing and perfectly entertaining little flick. There may be a bit too much going on, and the film takes a minute to get to the meat of the story, but it is an amusing and sweet film that has enough laughs and heart to win me over. It helps that the cast all do nice work here as well. I also welcome this trend of smaller films with a nice story and good cast to help sell them for a theatrical release. I find this a welcome change of pace from some of the bigger budget films which mostly dominate theaters these days.

Directed by and starring Aziz Ansari, he plays Arj. He is a bit unsure of where his life is going, and unhappy with it as well. We see him working odd jobs, which often includes picking food for people to even standing in line to order sweets. Part time, he works at a big box store and has to sleep in his car since he can’t make ends meet. One day, he picks up a job at Jeff’s (Seth Rogen) house to clean his garage. The two get to talk, and Arj does a one-week trial as Jeff’s assistant. Things seem to be going well until Arj foolishly uses the company credit card Jeff gives him on a date with Elena (Keke Palmer). Jeff realizes this and fires Arj right away. I haven’t even spoken of Keanu Reeves and his role here as Gabriel, a kindhearted but not very good angel. His wings are so small that he can’t even fly. Gabriel’s sole duty as an angel is to alert people who text and drive, essentially saving them to avoid an accident or even death. He alerts his boss, Martha (Sandra Oh) who is also an angel that he wants to do more. Really, he wants a higher ranking as an angel. He appears to Arj and gives him the opportunity to switch places with Jeff. Since Jeff has done quite well for himself, Arj wants the life that Jeff has. The idea is for this to last only a short while to let Arj appreciate his own life more. This has a reverse effect, however, as Arj loves Jeff’s life and tries to prolong this as long as possible. Kudos to the film for making Jeff perfectly likeable as well, and not an ordinary villain role. When Martha learns about Gabriel’s actions and how he goes against his boss, he is essentially striped of being an angel. This creates some fun moments where he and Jeff (now assuming Arj’s former life) must figure out how to make money and have a place to live. I enjoyed how Reeves plays his role here, such as when he eats a burger for the first time and realizes that he is perspiring a lot since he is now human. Those moments work and they work well. There is also a subplot where Arj has a stroke and recovers but acts as if he has memory loss so he can keep his new life. Less effective are some of the scenes where Elena wants the other employees to fight harder for better pay and benefits. This doesn’t bring the film down entirely, but the film has enough going on that it could’ve been nixed.

If it sounds like the film has a busy premise it’s because it does, but seeing it play out is easier and more digestible than writing about it. In fact, for a while, one might forget that the film features the role of switching between its two main characters, something very similar to Trading Places. But the film worked for me. I will admit that it took some time, but it did grow on me. It’s also never as funny as it could or probably should have been given the talent, but so much of it works. I smiled and smirked throughout much of it. There is a sweetness here as well that is refreshing, and the cast all do fine work. Reeves nails his role which has not just an innocence to it, but also a bit naïve as well. I also liked to see Rogen in a slightly more scaled back role, too. It has been some time since I recall seeing him in a theatrical role, so that was most welcome.

I won’t say it’s perfect by any stretch, but once Good Fortune gets past its somewhat slow start, it started to really work on me. It could have been funnier, but I remained amused throughout most of it and found myself liking and caring about the characters. It helps that it doesn’t paint the Jeff character as a villain. Keanu Reeves also does fine work here as an angel with good intentions, but also a bit naïve as well. Recommended.