TL;DR – While this film means well, you can also feel like the scenario presented is not a lived experience for the creatives behind the screen, as the focus is in the wrong place.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Good Fortune Review Introduction –

Today, we are looking at a film that is a bit of an odd duck all around. It is a film marking Aziz Ansari’s return from a self-imposed exile of only doing stand-up. A reinvention of sorts. It feels like an old-timey morality tale while also desperately trying to be relevant in the now. Also, it wants to be a comedy, but also wants to shine a light. Honestly, it is doing a lot of things; the question is, can it pull all these juxtapositions off?  

So, to set the scene, Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) is a guardian angel, sort of, well, only just. You see, he is not able to make any grand changes, because he is just the angel of texting while driving, giving a helping hand to look up before they crash into something. It is here that Gabriel finds Arj (Aziz Ansari), a man living in his car, working in the gig economy, and trying to find a way out, when all the cards are stacked against him. Well, what if Arj got a taste of what it would be like being rich, so he could learn that his current life has more purpose? Okay. But what Arj doesn’t want to change back?

The Good

When it comes to chemistry, the cast excels at every front. Keanu Reeves leans into the discount guardian angel quite well, and watching his slow spiral into becoming human is a delightful watch. Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen have a fantastic rapport as they throw barbs back and forth. Keke Palmer is wonderful here, but that, of course, is entirely unsurprising because she is good in everything she is in. The production is completely solid, which helps sell the juxtaposition they are working with in the morality tale. It is amusing without being irreverent, and you can feel like they really want to shine a light on the inequalities that exist in modern American society. Like most morality tales, it is not charting new territory, but it is sold with a gusto that makes it work.      

The Not Quite There

Good Fortune is a fun, competently constructed film, with a strong cast giving great performances. It also has some clear issues holding it back like an anchor dragging behind a ship. While it was nice to see a movie focus on the horrendous gig economy, you could tell that this was a film where most of the primary production had never experienced the life they were representing. There were times when it felt like people were cosplaying at being poor, rather than having it come from a real place. Because of that, you could always feel it just missing the mark at times. There are a couple of points when it did land, like with Felipe Garcia Martinez and the union busting. But that was more of an exception than the rule.

Conclusion

In the end, do we recommend Good Fortune? I think I would, even though it is not a perfect film. Its heart is in the right place, so I think that is why I am more willing to overlook some of its issues. It does help that the cast is clearly having fun here. Have you watched Good Fortune? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Good Fortune, we would recommend Holy Cow to you because it is also a film exploring trying to find yourself in a cruel world when you are starting at the bottom.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Good Fortune
Directed by – Aziz Ansari
Written by – Aziz Ansari
Music by – Carter Burwell
Cinematography by – Adam Newport-Berra
Edited by – Daniel Haworth
Production/Distribution Companies – Garam Films, Oh Brudder Productions, Keep Your Head, Yang Pictures & Lionsgate
Starring – Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Penny Johnson Jerald, Sherry Cola, Matt Rogers, Joe Mande, Alexander Jo, Shoukath Ansari, Erik Estrada Loaiza, Michael Arnold, Felipe Garcia Martinez, Blanca Araceli & Sandra Marcela Hernandez
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: 14A; Germany: 6; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R