Seven years after he was accused of sexual misconduct, and three years after his directorial debut Being Mortal fell apart due to complaints about headliner Bill Murray’s on-set behavior, Aziz Ansari finally gets behind the camera for Good Fortune.
The film is a story about a working-class Los Angeles film professional who, coping with miserable hardship, searches for purpose and happiness—a scenario that invariably invites fiction-imitating-reality comparisons. Nonetheless, no matter its personal dimension, the comedian’s initial feature, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and hits theaters Oct. 17, is an amusing saga of gig worker exploitation, economic inequality, and the way in which friends, love, and togetherness beget the hope that gives life meaning.
With Seth Rogen as a selfish tech bigwig and Keanu Reeves as a benevolent angel whose own longing for value makes a mess of things, it proves a reasonably funny combination of Freaky Friday and Wings of Desire.
Arj (Ansari) can’t get a job as a documentary editor so he scrapes by working for an app used by people who need someone to complete odd jobs. This is a thankless existence, full of rude customers, uncaring merchants, and one-star ratings, and it’s a financially unviable one as well, forcing Arj to sleep in his car.
His luck changes when he’s hired by Jeff (Rogen), a venture capitalist residing in a luxurious Hollywood Hills mansion, to organize his garage; Arj is so charming and competent that he earns a one-week trial as the mogul’s assistant. Arj loves this taste of the high life, and he’s simultaneously excited about his budding relationship with Elena (Keke Palmer), a former colleague at a Home Depot-style retailer who shares Arj’s fondness for tacos and is trying, in the face of considerable odds, to start a union at her place of employment.
Unbeknownst to Arj, he’s being watched by Gabriel (Reeves), an angel whose job is to save people from texting-and-driving accidents; his days and nights are spent sitting in people’s backseats and gently touching their shoulders to prevent calamitous collisions.
Despite his heavenly role, Gabriel longs to make a more profound difference like his colleague Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who helps lost souls. Against the objections of his boss Martha (Sandra Oh)—who holds meetings with her colleagues on L.A. rooftops—he decides to make himself known to Arj, determined to prove to him that his life has worth.
However, when Arj is less than impressed by his prospective future of driving a delivery van that requires him to relieve himself with a “pee bottle,” Gabriel (who Arj dubs a “budget guardian angel”) takes drastic action, showing him that Jeff’s lot isn’t all it’s cracked up to be by having them trade places.
That’s a nice It’s a Wonderful Life’s ruse, but Gabriel runs into an immediate problem: Arj absolutely adores being rich, has no interest in switching back, and doesn’t have to; this paradigm can only be reversed if Arj learns to appreciate his prior situation. The angel thus winds up in trouble, and he makes matters messier by restoring the memory of Jeff, who’s none too pleased with watching Arj enjoy the fruits of his (and his parents’) labor.
For his infraction, Gabriel is stripped of his wings and forced to toil with mankind, and Reeves is at his funniest when discovering the pleasures of the flesh, be it the bliss of hamburgers, milkshakes, and chicken nuggies, cumbia dancing at a Mexican nightclub, or smoking and drinking as an antidote for stress and desperation.
The John Wick star is Good Fortune’s ace in the hole, eliciting big laughs from the smallest moments: a “Wow” at a surprising pleasure, or the sight of him outside in a dishwasher’s apron and hat, puffing away on a cigarette like a jaded and exhausted laborer.
Gabriel is a naïve babe in the woods with a pure soul and a sincere belief that Arj is wrong to think that money is the answer to his difficulties, and Reeves makes him a figure of warm, winning humor. He’s also the proceedings’ most unique element, since Rogen’s Jeff is a two-dimensional type (he resembles a wan version of his The Studio mogul), and Ansari’s Arj is never allowed to go gonzo with his newfound wealth—a byproduct of the fact that the film demands he inevitably have an aww-shucks change of heart.
Good Fortune is generally more pleasant than uproarious, tamping down its outrageousness in favor of warm and cuddly sentimentality. Still, its narrative escalates drolly, with absurd developments piling on top of each other, and Ansari, Rogen, and Reeves develop a likable chemistry. In fact, it’s a missed opportunity that the trio doesn’t get to partake in more joint hijinks; a night out on the town, and an afternoon spent in Jeff’s pool, make one wish the film took greater advantage of their entertaining dynamic.
Additionally, Ansari’s script is too light on sharp one-liners; Reeves’ inspired Bill and Ted’s-ish delivery notwithstanding, the dialogue frequently lacks bite, and in its final stages, it gets preachy to a borderline-egregious degree.
Good Fortune ultimately courts applause rather than chuckles, all as it twists itself into a pretzel trying to have Arj covet a past life that Jeff and Gabriel agree stinks. Ansari’s plea for respect and consideration for the have-nots—especially from the haves, whose comfort they facilitate—isn’t totally successful, nor is Palmer’s Elena, who comes across as a plot device rather than a genuine character.
However, whether he’s downing booze on a parking lot curb, suggesting that he and Rogen separate their vehicular sleeping quarters with a sheet à la It Happened One Night (“It could be cute!”), or earnestly proclaiming, after learning to chew food, “I’m a big boy!”, Reeves’ goofy childlike routine lends the film the sweetness it seeks.
There’s something slightly out-of-whack about a movie with an A-list cast arguing that the little guy should view his adversity as good, actually, because it allows him to fight for a better tomorrow. Setting aside its clunkier aspects, though, Ansari’s maiden directorial outing gets by on its agreeable vibes and Reeves’ delightful turn—even if, ultimately, it falls a bit short of heavenly.
