SYNOPSIS: In “Good Fortune,” a body-swap comedy starring Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves and now playing in theatres, a bumbling guardian angel attempts to convince a down-on-his-luck guy that money won’t solve all his problems. “”Money in your pocket can’t hide the poverty in your character,” says tech mogul Jeff (Seth Rogen).
CAST: Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, and Keanu Reeves. Directed by Aziz Ansari.
REVIEW: If “Trading Places,” “Nomadland” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” had a baby, it might look something like “Good Fortune.”
In his directorial debut, Aziz Ansari, who also wrote the script, stars as Arj, a down-on-his-luck handyman who, if he didn’t have bad luck, wouldn’t have no luck at all. He does odd jobs for tech bro Jeff (Seth Rogen), a wealthy guy who never met an excess he didn’t embrace. “I did everything right,” Arj says, “but nothing is working out.”
Arj gets a second chance at life when his “budget” Guardian Angel Gabriel (Keanu Reeves)—he usually sticks to saving people from texting and driving—is inspired by the other guardian angels to do something more meaningful with his job.
Wanting to show lost soul Arj how superficial a life of wealth can be the angel offers him a chance to see life through Jeff’s eyes.
Literally.
Gabriel swaps Arj and Jeff, allowing them to live one another’s lives. “Maybe I can show you that [that] life is not all it’s cracked up to be,” Gabriel says to Arj.
Trouble is, Arj’s problems are solved by Jeff’s cash. “I tried to show him that wealth wouldn’t solve all his problems, but it seems to have solved most of his problems.” As punishment for his divine intervention Gabriel loses his wings and is sent to Earth to become Jeff’s roommate. “You have to get Arj to go back,” says head angel Martha (Sandra Oh). “Until then I have to take your wings.”
“Good Fortune” is an American Dream satire with a standout performance from Keanu Reeves who brings humor and heart to the fallen angel Gabriel. All innocence and wide eyes, Reeves plays Gabriel like a baby in a man’s body as he learns about the simple pleasures of street tacos, dancing and laughing. “How will I know when I’m done chewing?” he asks as he tastes food for the first time. It’s a strange, committed performance that provides many of the film’s unexpected laughs.
Rogen and Ansari are solid, playing characters that echo their previous roles, but Reeves is the glue that sticks “Good Fortune’s” simple and sentimental story together.
Hidden underneath the character driven story are incisive and biting commentary on the difficulty of the gig economy—“We have it good” rich guy Jeff tells his board of directors, “because they have it bad.”—being true to yourself and finding hope in life. The presentation of the ideas is earnest, but effective situationally.
“Good Fortune” isn’t a laugh a minute, but the situation overall is amusing and director Ansari milks some laughs out of the circumstances.
