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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the fantasy film from comedian the director, has been facing challenges at the box office. Many reasons could explain its reception: Its generic name doesn't express its movie's unique appeal. The script can be preachy and heavy-handed regarding the messages. Its performances seem flat and staged, like the cast were reciting lines directly from the page. And, it arrives during an era of economic anxiety and inequality, that could render audiences not very open to a story which implies wealthy people have every advantages while those in need have heart.

But, here's what Good Fortune excels: It's original, bold, creative, frequently humorous, and undoubtedly timely. Plus, it offers an unexpectedly enjoyable the actor hangout movie.

Keanu Reeves in the role of Guardian: A Familiar Performance

Personally, I've not regarded Reeves to be a strong actor. His monotonal delivery and consistent expression of mild perturbation have always felt limited, regardless of his broad variety of roles he has played over the past 40 years. Astute directors have cast him in roles where that stoic nature works ideally, including his early work to The Matrix to John Wick. Yet almost all of these roles required Reeves to appear tough, distant, and detached.

In the film, Reeves plays an angel, one low-level protecting celestial being tasked with looking after individuals that text while driving. His whole job involves sitting in his cars and gently touching the drivers' arms as they are about to crash, warning them so the driver brake in time. But, while standing overlooking the city, looking down on the mortal world like a interpretation of the angel from Wim Wenders' renowned movie the angel story, Gabriel becomes aspirational. He desires to become a great guardian and a savior of wayward souls.

A Unexpected Shift: Reeves Playing a Human

Therefore, he reveals himself to struggling odd-jobber Arj (played by Aziz Ansari), who is residing in his car and cursing his situation. Gabriel proceeds to swaps Arj into the existence of extremely rich businessman Jeff (acted by the comedian). This idea behind the exercise is for the character would understand Jeff's existence has major drawbacks, and thankfully return to his own circumstances, much like the figure from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem is, the character right away discovers how the mogul's problems (tedious meetings, a pricey pool-heater invoice) prove negligible and readily solved using money. Arj further sees that becoming affluent provides limitless opportunities for self-indulgent fun. He has zero interest in going back to his previous life, and the angel is unable to compel Arj to go back. Subsequently, additional trouble arrives: For overstepping his duties and disrupting the order of existence, Gabriel loses his position as an celestial role, and transformed to a mortal.

A Discovery: Keanu Reeves Smiles

Personally, I remained never convinced by the actor playing an angel with grand dreams and a burning wish to effect change. Reeves turns in a familiar somewhat constipated acting he has consistently offering for no less than the past three decades. Viewing him as an angel that has recently become human for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be highly entertaining, due to something that really astonished me at first: This is something new for the actor. Or perhaps more accurately, something from the past.

Early into his confusing experience as a human, clinging to Jeff (whom the angel exchanged into the handyman's hand-to-mouth life and underemployed situation), the character starts tentatively experimenting with human activities such as chewing and consuming food. And Reeves smiles. Authentically, hesitantly, joyously smiles. (This is far more believable than his smile on the promotional image, that looks artificially added.)

Why This Grin Is Significant

The moment really surprised me to realize just how surprising and welcome that expression was. When was the last time audiences observed Keanu Reeves smile in a film in which he was not expressing ill will, sarcasm, or bitterness? He likely tries a smile at some point in 2020's misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I'm not returning to that disappointment to find out. Reeves has been typecast with serious, violent, broody, or just solemn characters for such a duration that just seeing Reeves smile seemed like observing an entirely different actor.

As the story goes on, the character ends up needing to get a dishwashing position, a role that doesn't pay sufficient to live on, and Gabriel begins chain-smoking out of disappointment. Just the image of Reeves in a cheap paper restaurant hat, with his late-career trademark long hair pulled back in an unglamorous bun, slouching on a building and smoking a smoke, proves worthy of the price of admission. His dishwasher getup completely changes his appearance and body: Suddenly, the slim, suited physical powerhouse of his famous movies becomes awkward, ordinary, and much increasingly relatable.

A Joy of Watching Reeves Relax

Good Fortune is not consistently fun to view, especially when Ansari (that also authored the script) has to create plausible explanations for {Ar