Aziz Ansari recruits great Canadian talent like Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen and Sandra Oh to bring his hilarious and heartwarming new comedy to life
The Snapshot: Good Fortune may be modest in scale but it packs plenty of charm thanks to clever writing, strong performances, and an unexpectedly touching message.
Good Fortune
8 out of 10
PG, 1hr 38mins. Comedy.
Written and directed by Aziz Ansari.
Starring Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh.
Now Playing at Galaxy Cinemas Sault Ste. Marie.
Having a guardian angel may or may not be the answer to life’s greatest challenges. Having Keanu Reeves as your guardian angel, however, is like going to comedy heaven.
Comedian Aziz Ansari has pulled off a triple threat in his directorial debut Good Fortune, which he also wrote and stars in. This slick, big city comedy answers the timeless question of “What would It’s a Wonderful Life be like if it were set in 2025’s Los Angeles gig economy?”
That timing, as it happens, couldn’t be better. His film is modest, insightful, charming, and funny in all the ways classic comedy should be. Good Fortune doesn’t always soar, but its best moments come together into a handsome movie that’s great fun to watch.
Better still is that Ansari, playing a well-suited character, has surrounded himself with several of Hollywood’s hottest comedians (many of whom are Canadian!) committing to the premise with style.
Ansari plays food courier and recently homeless man Arj, now having trouble meeting the wild demands of his new boss, tech CEO Jeff (Seth Rogen) as his assistant. When all hope is lost, an up-and-coming guardian angel named Gabriel (a perfectly deadpan Keanu Reeves) comes in to show both Arj and Jeff what it’s like to live in another man’s shoes.
Reliably funny writing and skilled delivery provide strong foundation for the cast, but Good Fortune really takes off when its sweet side comes out.
All three of these guys are all fighting to earnestly do their best and find balance in their lives, and while the setup is somewhat predictable, how they find their happy ending offers some surprise.
The main cast is rounded out with Keke Palmer as co-worker Elena and Sandra Oh as Gabriel’s boss Martha. All five main players work divinely well together, and it there is a great amount of local pride seeing Canadian stars like Reeves, Rogen and Oh all getting to show off their talents together.
Ansari’s secret is that his vision for the bleak urban landscape of this economically disparate modern culture can be saved – even as Arj, Jeff, Elena and Gabriel all hit painful roadblocks, they all learn to find hope in both community and a healthy sense of self-worth.
While deep moral insight evades the script, the sincerity of Good Fortune’s screenplay and its execution are both hilarious and heartwarming. If you ask me, that’s a terrific way to spend a night at the movies.
