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Good Fortune, the fantasy film by comedian Aziz Ansari, has been facing challenges in theaters. Several reasons could explain the film's performance: Its generic name fails to express the movie's unique charm. The screenplay is often moralizing and obvious regarding the themes. The performances are flat and presentational, as if the actors were reciting dialogue directly from a script. And, it arrives at a time of financial uncertainty and inequality, that could render viewers not very open to a story which implies rich people enjoy every advantages while those in need possess heart.

However, this is what Good Fortune stands out: The film is unique, bold, creative, frequently funny, and certainly relevant. Plus, it offers an unexpectedly enjoyable the actor hangout movie.

Reeves in the role of Guardian: His Typical Portrayal

I have never considered Reeves a good performer. His monotonal speaking style and consistent expression of mild perturbation has always felt one-note, regardless of the wide variety of roles he has taken on over the past 40 years. Astute filmmakers have cast Reeves in roles in which his stoic nature works ideally, including My Own Private Idaho to the sci-fi classic to John Wick. Yet nearly all of these roles required him to seem tough, distant, or removed.

In the film, Reeves portrays Gabriel, one low-level protecting angel tasked with watching over people that text when behind the wheel. The character's entire duty involves sitting in his vehicles and lightly touching their shoulders when they are close to crash, alerting them so they stop before impact. However, while positioned high above his domain, gazing on the mortal world similar to a version of a celestial figure in the director's classic movie the angel story, the character becomes ambitious. Gabriel desires to be an exceptional protector and a savior of lost individuals.

The Unexpected Turn: Reeves as a Human

So, he presents his presence to struggling handyman a character (played by the director), who's residing in a vehicle and resenting his life. Gabriel proceeds to swaps Arj into the existence of stupidly wealthy tech mogul Jeff (played by Seth Rogen). This idea of the experiment is that the character to understand the wealthy man's life has significant drawbacks, and gratefully return to his original circumstances, similar to the character in It's a Wonderful Life.

Issue was, the character right away discovers how the mogul's issues (boring appointments, expensive pool-heater invoice) prove minor and readily resolved with wealth. He further realizes how being affluent provides limitless opportunities for pleasurable enjoyment. He shows no interest in going back to his own situation, and the angel can't force Arj to go back. Then, more trouble comes: For exceeding his duties and disrupting the balance of existence, the character is fired from his celestial role, and transformed to a human being.

The Revelation: Keanu Reeves Smiles

I was never persuaded by Reeves playing an angel who has grand dreams and an intense desire to make a difference. Reeves delivers the same somewhat constipated performance he's consistently offering for no less than the past three decades. Watching him as an celestial being who's recently become mortal initially, however, proved to be a blast, due to something which truly surprised me initially: It's an element different for the actor. Or to be precise, an aspect old.

Early during his baffling experience being a human, staying with Jeff (who Gabriel exchanged with the handyman's precarious life and underemployed status), the character begins tentatively experimenting with human activities such as eating and swallowing meals. Then the actor grins. Genuinely, cautiously, happily smiles. (It's a lot much convincing than the grin shown in the promotional image, which looks artificially added.)

Why That Smile Matters

It truly took me aback to recognize how unexpected and refreshing the smile felt. When did we last audiences saw the actor grin in a film where he was not showing malice, irony, or bitterness? He likely tries a smile somewhere in 2020's misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, but I am not going to revisiting that mess to confirm. The actor has remained stuck with serious, violent, introspective, or simply solemn characters for such a duration that merely watching Reeves grin seemed like seeing a completely new actor.

As the plot progresses, Gabriel ends up having to take a dishwashing job, which doesn't pay sufficient for survival, and Gabriel starts chain-smoking out of disappointment. Just the sight of the actor in a cheap paper food-service hat, with his late-career trademark long hair tied in an unglamorous ponytail, leaning on a building and smoking a smoke, is worthy of the price of admission. His kitchen worker getup completely alters his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the lean, suited action star of his famous films is gawky, unglamorous, and a lot more human.

The Joy of Viewing Keanu Loosen Up

Good Fortune isn't consistently fun to watch, especially when Ansari (who additionally wrote the screenplay) must create plausible explanations for {Ar