Good Fortune: Stacked Cast Elevates Ambling and Indebted Story

By Kim Hughes

Rating: B

There are multiple movies unfolding within Good Fortune, comedian-actor Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut, which he also wrote and co-stars in alongside Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Sandra Oh. But those movies are probably not the movie that moviegoers will be expecting based on the film’s trailers, which frame it as a straight-up comedy.

There are funny bits, almost all revealed in those same trailers (sorry). But a comedy in any traditional sense, it is not. What’s more, Good Fortune’s cinematic inspiration is so naked that it’s hard not to box-check each reference as the film progresses.

That’s not to suggest it’s not entertaining. But with overarching themes including (but not limited to) a commentary on the wealth divide in Los Angeles and beyond, condemnation of the gig economy in general and the food-delivery industry in particular, and a fairly cringey portrait of budding male friendship, Good Fortune is one weird bag of tricks.

The story follows Arj (Ansari), a sweet and smart fellow continually defeated by a system seemingly rigged to make poverty not only grinding but very expensive. Arj is homeless and sleeping in his perennially ticketed car, juggling multiple low-paying gig jobs, and unable to catch a break or a toehold in his chosen field.

Watching this play out is Gabriel (Reeves), a workaday angel hoping to ascend the hierarchy by rescuing Arj, whom he sees as a quintessential lost soul. If through celestial intervention Gabriel can make Arj see that his life is worth living (cue: It’s a Wonderful Life), Gabriel can move on up in the ranks and pursue more meaningful work.

Meantime, Arj is hired — via app, of course — by Jeff (Rogen), a spectacularly rich if vacuous tech bro (is there any other kind?) to organize his garage. Arj capitalizes on the meeting to sell himself as Jeff’s new assistant. Seeing this, Gabriel has an in for his scheme: he will show Arj that being rich isn’t everything by giving Arj Jeff’s palatial life. Jeff is then kicked down the ladder to live as Arj lives (cue: Trading Places).

To no one’s surprise, Arj’s newfound wealth and status actually do make him happier, while Jeff’s struggle to simply survive proves soul-crushing, a situation he zealously rectifies after returning, transformed, from the spiritual abyss (cue: A Christmas Carol).

The most meaningful thread linking Arj to his wretched old life is Elena (Keke Palmer), a heart-of-gold would-be union organizer and paramour — the film’s unambiguous conscience — who would rather fight the good fight in the trenches than lounge in wealth-induced complacency.

As a sub-plot, Gabriel’s driving outside of his angel lane brings the opprobrium of boss angel Martha (Oh) who reduces him to human status until he can set things straight, thus opening the film to Gabriel’s wacky sidebar adventures in eating, smoking, and drugging as he piggybacks on Jeff’s slide to the bottom.

That’s a heap of cinematic baggage to digest. And while the performances here are winning — especially Reeves, who leverages his dim stereotype in wink-nudge meta fashion — the tone is uneven.

Funny bits seem tacked on rather than organic, and the film takes it sweet time to establish Arj’s central issues. We the people, also members of the 21st century, get it: delivering food and handyman work for a living is no living and pricey post-secondary education guarantees nothing. All that could have been established in a handful of scenes. Instead, it’s built up in the film’s first third as some kind of revelatory sad sack operetta.

Maybe that’s just me being too judge-y or deep think-y, or hoping for more from this title, which reads so well in theory and is so stacked, cast-wise. There is joy in seeing this gifted ensemble have fun with their broadly scripted characters with Los Angeles in all its trashy splendour backdropping it all. But this angel comedy doesn’t quite reach for the heavens.

Good Fortune. Written and directed by Aziz Ansari. Starring Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh. In theatres October 17.