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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, this whimsical film by actor the director, is struggling in theaters. Several reasons may explain its performance: Its generic name doesn't express its film's unique appeal. The screenplay can be moralizing and heavy-handed with its themes. Its acting seem flat and presentational, as if the actors were reading dialogue directly from a script. And, it arrives during an era of economic anxiety and disparity, that may make audiences less open to a story which implies rich people have every advantages while the poor have spirit.

However, here's where Good Fortune excels: The film is unique, daring, imaginative, often funny, and certainly timely. Plus, it offers a great the actor character-driven experience.

Reeves in the role of Angel: A Familiar Portrayal

Personally, I've never considered Reeves to be a good actor. His flat delivery and consistent expression of mild perturbation have consistently seemed limited, regardless of his broad range of roles he has played during the last 40 of his career. Smart directors have placed him in roles in which his stoic nature fits ideally, from My Own Private Idaho to the sci-fi classic to John Wick. But almost all of those roles called for Reeves to seem tough, closed-off, and removed.

In Good Fortune, Reeves portrays an angel, a minor guardian angel tasked with looking after people that text while driving. His whole job is remaining in his vehicles and gently making contact with their shoulders as they're about to crash, alerting them in order that the driver stop before impact. But, while positioned overlooking the city, gazing on the mortal world similar to an alternative interpretation of the angel from Wim Wenders' renowned movie the angel story, Gabriel becomes aspirational. He desires to be an exceptional protector and rescuer of wayward individuals.

The Surprising Shift: Keanu as a Human

Therefore, Gabriel presents his presence to down-and-out odd-jobber a character (played by Aziz Ansari), who's living in a vehicle and cursing his life. Gabriel then swaps the man into the life of extremely wealthy businessman a character (played by Seth Rogen). The point behind the experiment is for Arj would understand the wealthy man's life comes with major downsides, and gratefully return to his original circumstances, much like a character in It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem is, Arj immediately realizes that the mogul's problems (boring appointments, a pricey heating invoice) prove negligible and readily solved with money. He also realizes that being rich provides endless opportunities for pleasurable fun. He has zero interest in returning to his previous situation, and Gabriel can't force Arj to go back. Then, more bad news comes: For overstepping his duties and messing with the order of the world, Gabriel is fired as an angel job, and turned into a mortal.

A Revelation: Keanu Reeves Smiles

Personally, I remained not persuaded by Reeves as an angel with grand aspirations and a burning wish to make a difference. He turns in a familiar vaguely constipated acting he has consistently offering for at least the last three decades. Watching Reeves in the role of angel that has recently become mortal initially, however, proved to be highly entertaining, due to something that truly astonished me at first: It's something new for the actor. Or to be precise, something old.

Soon during the character's confusing experience as a mortal, clinging to Jeff (whom the angel had swapped with Arj's precarious life and underemployed situation), Gabriel starts hesitantly experimenting with human experiences like eating and swallowing food. And Reeves smiles. Authentically, hesitantly, joyously smiles. (It's a lot more believable than the smile on the promotional image, that appears digitally altered.)

Why That Smile Matters

The moment really took me aback to recognize just how unexpected and refreshing that expression was. When did we last we saw Keanu Reeves grin in a film where he wasn't showing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? The actor probably attempts a smile at some point in 2020's ill-conceived the sequel, but I am not going to revisiting the mess to find out. Reeves has remained stuck with serious, violent, introspective, or just serious characters for so long that just watching him grin seemed like observing an entirely different performer.

While the story progresses, Gabriel ends up having to take a dishwashing job, a role that doesn't pay sufficient to live on, and he begins smoking heavily due to disappointment. Simply the sight of the actor in a cheap paper food-service hat, his recent signature long hair pulled back in an unglamorous ponytail, leaning against a building and smoking a smoke, is worth the price of admission. The dishwasher getup totally changes his face and posture: Suddenly, the slim, well-dressed physical powerhouse of the John Wick movies is awkward, unglamorous, and much increasingly human.

The Joy of Viewing Keanu Loosen Up

The film is not consistently enjoyable to watch, especially when Ansari (who additionally wrote the screenplay) must find plausible explanations for {Ar