Aziz Ansari’s new film, Good Fortune, is a true throwback to an era in America when people were struggling, and certain types of films aimed to offer a sliver of hope while also providing audiences with a little laughter.
In order to pull off this unique blend, Ansari relied on his own comedic chops, but he also managed to bring in a serious big gun in the form of the singular Keanu Reeves. While he has recently been known more for his masterful turns as an action icon in the John Wick franchise, Reeves is as adept at comedy as anyone. How did Ansari feel about directing ‘The Chosen One’?
“It was definitely a little intimidating [at first] because I’m a kid of the 90s. I was born in 83, he’s an icon, and he’s someone I grew up watching. So it’s a little surreal to be working with him, but over time, I got comfortable. I love him, and he did such a great job, and he’s the soul of this movie, and his performance, I think, is so hilarious and thoughtful, and I can’t believe I was able to get him to do this with me.”
Reeves, in particular, has been praised for his performance as Gabriel, an angel who takes it upon himself to try to improve the perspectives of Ansari’s Arj and co-star Seth Rogen’s character Jeff. The results are comedically catastrophic for all three of them. Ansari was determined to nail certain aspects of his story with honest insight: “I did a lot of research for my character. I went and really did DoorDash with this guy for a day. That was a big sequence of the movie with Seth’s character having to do that.”
A Legacy of Cinematic Inspiration
In his exclusive sit-down with MovieWeb, Ansari also shared what movies he watched while he prepped Good Fortune:
“My Man Godfrey’ was definitely a movie I watched when I was working on this. And other movies from that era, like ‘Sullivan’s Travels’, were from that time. In the 30s and 40s, they would deal with these kinds of issues in a very funny way. It felt like a good time for that kind of movie. Having a cast like Seth [Rogen] and Keanu [Reeves] brought it all together, and really updating all that stuff for today’s time felt like a fun idea.”
My Man Godfrey is one of the defining screwball comedies of the 1930s, starring Carole Lombard and William Powell as a socialite and the vagrant she hires as her butler, respectively. Ansari’s 2025 take has Rogen’s tech bro Jeff in the Lombard role, and Ansari himself in the Powell/Vagrant role, taking on a job as Jeff’s personal assistant. In addition to obvious plot similarities, the films both emphasize empathy and compassion, guiding people during a time of economic extremes.
Ansari’s film also incorporates elements from other ‘golden age’ movies like Ernst Lubitsch’s meditation on the afterlife, Heaven Can Wait, Preston Sturges’ seminal film on the value of comedy in darker times, Sullivan’s Travels, and the angelic intervention from films like The Bishop’s Wife and It’s a Wonderful Life.
It’s a laundry list of classics that attempt to peel back the layers of what makes a ‘good life’ and ask audiences to reflect on their values, with characters being forced to confront harsher truths. Ansari’s efforts come at an opportune time of extremes, while also providing plenty of reasons to laugh. Good Fortune is in theaters October 17, 2025.
- Release Date
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October 17, 2025
- Runtime
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98 Minutes