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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the whimsical comedy by comedian the director, has been struggling at the box office. Several factors could explain its reception: Its generic name fails to convey its film's unique charm. The screenplay can be moralizing and heavy-handed with its themes. Its acting seem uninspired and staged, as if the cast were reciting lines directly from the page. And, it arrives at a time marked by economic uncertainty and disparity, that may render audiences not very open to a narrative that suggests rich individuals have all the advantages while the poor have heart.

But, this is where Good Fortune excels: It's unique, bold, imaginative, frequently funny, and undoubtedly relevant. Plus, it offers an unexpectedly great Keanu Reeves character-driven experience.

Keanu Reeves as an Angel: A Familiar Portrayal

Personally, I've never considered Keanu Reeves to be a strong performer. The actor's flat speaking style and consistent expression of slight concern have always seemed one-note, despite his broad variety of characters he's played over the past four decades of his career. Smart directors have often cast him in roles where his stoic nature fits perfectly, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to John Wick. But nearly all of those roles called for him to seem tough, distant, or detached.

Throughout Good Fortune, Reeves plays Gabriel, one low-level protecting celestial being tasked with watching over people who text while behind the wheel. His whole job involves sitting in their cars and gently making contact with the drivers' arms as they're close to crash, warning the person in order that the driver stop in time. But, when standing high above the city, gazing upon humanity like an alternative interpretation of the angel from Wim Wenders' classic movie Wings of Desire, Gabriel becomes ambitious. Gabriel desires to become a great protector and a savior of lost individuals.

A Surprising Shift: Reeves as a Mortal

Therefore, he presents his presence to down-and-out handyman a character (portrayed by the director), who's residing in a vehicle and cursing his life. Gabriel then exchanges Arj into the life of extremely rich tech mogul a character (acted by the comedian). This point of the exercise is for Arj to realize the wealthy man's life has significant downsides, and thankfully go back to his own circumstances, much like the character from the classic film.

Issue is, the character immediately discovers that the mogul's problems (tedious appointments, expensive pool-heater bill) prove minor and readily solved with wealth. Arj also realizes that becoming affluent provides endless opportunities for self-indulgent enjoyment. He has zero desire in returning to his previous life, and the angel is unable to compel him to return. Subsequently, additional trouble comes: Because of overstepping his duties and disrupting the balance of existence, Gabriel is fired from his angel job, and transformed to a human being.

A Discovery: The Actor Smiles

Personally, I remained not convinced by the actor as an angel who has big aspirations and a burning desire to effect change. He delivers the same somewhat stiff performance he has been offering for no less than the past 3 ten-year periods. Viewing him as an celestial being who's recently become human for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be highly entertaining, due to something which really surprised viewers at first: It's an element new for the actor. Or to be precise, an aspect from the past.

Early during the character's confusing career as a human, staying with the wealthy character (who Gabriel had swapped into Arj's precarious existence and jobless status), Gabriel starts tentatively trying out everyday activities like eating and swallowing food. And the actor smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, happily smiles. (This is far more believable than his grin on the promotional image, which appears artificially added.)

Why That Grin Is Significant

The moment truly surprised me to recognize how unexpected and welcome that expression was. At what point did we last audiences observed the actor grin in a film where he was not expressing ill will, irony, or bitterness? He likely attempts it somewhere in the recent ill-conceived Bill & Ted Face the Music, but I am not revisiting that disappointment to confirm. The actor has remained stuck with grim, violent, introspective, or just serious characters for such a duration that merely seeing him smile felt like seeing an entirely new performer.

While the story progresses, the character ends up needing to take a kitchen position, a role that doesn't pay sufficient for survival, and Gabriel begins chain-smoking out of disappointment. Simply the image of the actor in a cheap paper restaurant cap, his late-career signature locks pulled back in a plain ponytail, slouching against a wall and puffing on a smoke, is worth the price of admission. His kitchen worker attire totally changes his appearance and posture: Unexpectedly, the lean, well-dressed physical powerhouse of the John Wick films becomes awkward, ordinary, and much increasingly human.

The Pleasure of Viewing Keanu Loosen Up

Good Fortune is not always enjoyable to watch, especially when Ansari (who also authored the screenplay) has to find plausible reasons for {Ar