Name: Good Fortune
Director: Aziz Ansari
Writer: Aziz Ansari
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh
Rating: 2/5
Good Fortune Plot
The film follows the life of a man named Arj who does odd jobs in secrecy, away from the prying questions of his big-dreaming father. Misfortune follows him around, just like a ‘budget guardian angel’ named Gabriel, who one fine day, takes notice of this hardworking fellow with a mediocre future in front of him. After experiencing the lavish lifestyle of a rich ‘tech bro’ Jeff, who hires him as a weekly assistant and then lays him off over his silly mistake, Arj wishes to have his life.
Losing his car— which used to be his home for a while, and all his money, as well as his chance to impress the passionate girl he met at work, Arj trades with Gabriel for a week of Jeff’s life in exchange for his own. His experience is almost flawless and makes him never want to leave, making Jeff stuck in his poor life alongside a now-demoted angel, Gabriel.
What Works for Good Fortune
The film is shot very well. Although improvements in lighting would have been good, Good Fortune manages to appear promising in the first half. It presents a couple of good jokes and satire on the current state of immigrants in the country.
What Does Not Work for Good Fortune
It is too long. Just 97 minutes, but towards the end of it, you just want closure for the repetitive happenings in the film, which are nowhere near as delightful as one would expect. There’s a lot riding on Keanu Reeves’ shoulders, who delivers in the right moments, but only so much can be done about a rapidly tanking storyline. The comedy is honestly so scarce, and so is the supernatural element of the film, that its genre classification feels like a joke in itself.
Acting Performances in Good Fortune
Sandra Oh is so underused, it’s a shame. She is domineering each time she’s on screen and with cause. Keke Palmer is an absolute winner throughout her appearances, commanding the dialogue with every word that falls from her lips. Keanu Reeves is honestly the best part about the film, and his years of dedication to his craft is very visible. The same cannot be said about Seth Rogen and Aziz Ansari, who try but fail to be memorable.
Final Verdict of Good Fortune
If I were to describe the entire experience of watching Good Fortune on screen, it would be a ‘meh’. It presents itself as this old television that everyone has in the back of their attic, which they once praised for showing them colorized versions of their favorite TV shows, but is now left as just another invention far behind its peers.
Only about a couple of sniggers escaped my lips throughout the 97-minute run time of the film, and that’s honestly saying a lot considering how the project banks on its wiring from an industry favorite. The plot is quite predictable and gives you the comfort of watching a series you’ve familiarized yourself with over the years, and can be put on during a cooking session to run at the back of your mind.
Good Fortune has its moments, but these instances are so fleeting that you’ll be left wondering if you were even supposed to laugh at them. The Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves starrer teeters between being a passion project from someone who has impressed the American crowd and largely even the South Asian American masses with his wit, and a school assignment that became too ambitious overnight.
It has heart, after all, a predictable Indian boy’s struggling journey in America may just be hitting home for too many people at this point in time. However, the potential is lost amid a penny-worth cast that tries too hard but on the wrong project. Aziz Ansari may have impressed audiences with his past works, but this one remains as the page sticking out of his shiny book, as a bothersome afterthought.
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