Good Fortune movie review: Aziz Ansari stars in a rags-to-riches satire from the heart

Who said that money can’t buy you happiness? In this economy, it sure as hell can.

In Lionsgate’s new comedy Good Fortune, Aziz Ansari plays Arj, a freelance documentary editor who sleeps in his car while struggling to get by in Los Angeles’ gig economy. He works part-time at Hardware Heaven and works as a “mission sergeant”, doing various paid jobs through the app service. He lives on tips and five-star reviews. Anything less than them is pure torture.

Arj is hired by venture capitalist Jeff (Seth Rogen) to organize the garage of his luxury house at the top of the hill. Arg convinces Jeff to hire him as an assistant. Unfortunately, the cozy party only lasts so long before Jeff fires him for a blunder.

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The film also follows Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), a half-assed guardian angel stuck in a menial job rescuing people who text while driving, with only tiny wings to show for it. Gabriel longs for something enriching, like fellow angel Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who is in charge of saving lost souls and who boasts big, beautiful wings, a symbol of the highest status in angel society.

Arj and Gabriel’s paths collide after Gabriel saves Arj’s life, though Angel couldn’t help but notice the text Arj was going to send, suggesting that he gave up on life. Gabriel urges his boss Martha from Angels Management (Sandra Oh) to let him save Arg’s soul. Martha tells Gabriel to stay in his lane (perhaps literally), but he can’t resist.

Just when things couldn’t get any worse for Arj, Gabriel introduces himself in hopes of convincing Arj that his life is worth living. In doing so, Gabriel offers glimpses into Arg’s future, which includes using a “piss bottle” as a delivery driver, living in a crowded house, and being unable to afford treatment for his sick dog. Arj wasn’t exactly impressed with what was in the store.

Gabriel then offers Arj an alternative: swap his life with Jeff’s for a week. However, he warns Arj that Jeff’s life is “not what he pictured it to be.” Except that Arj soon learns that he is actually everything he is cracked up to be. Who can complain about pool parties, fancy dinners, and having Jeff be your assistant without remembering anything about his past life?

Angry that he disobeyed her orders, Martha asks why Gabriel did what he did.

“I tried to show him that wealth wouldn’t solve all his problems…it seemed to solve most of his problems,” Gabriel told Martha. She takes his wings as punishment, telling him that he can only get them back if Arg voluntarily returns to his old life.

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After Gabriel is deterred by the wrong lesson Arg learned from the life swap, Jeff restores his memory, angering him that Arg stole his life. Arg challenges Jeff that he can’t live in his shoes. Gabriel brokered an agreement that Arj could maintain Jeff’s wealthy lifestyle for a few more days before the two moved back together. Of course, it doesn’t quite work that way.

While living Jeff’s life, Arj must win back against his former Hardware Heaven co-worker Elena (Keke Palmer), to whom he was engaged in a previous life but doesn’t remember him after the switch. Like Arj, Elena also struggles in the gig economy, taking a job at Hardware Heaven to source discounted lumber to pursue her passion for furniture making. But instead of wallowing in misery as Arj did, she strives to change poor working conditions by urging her co-workers to join a union.

However, the longer Arg continues to live the high life, the more disconnected he becomes from the struggles of the Elena he once knew. Meanwhile, Gabriel must adapt to human life and the ups and downs that come with it while trying to undo the chaos he has created.

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“Good Fortune” is about the lives of the haves and have-nots in the 21st century, and how not everyone is as lucky as Jeff to come from a privileged background. However, it does not demonize the rich as progressives often do. Jeff is not evil. Is he too spoiled and perhaps too far from the working class? certainly. This is a far cry from being Mr. Potter or Mr. Burns.

Ansari, who also wrote and directed “Good Fortune,” rose to fame in the comedy world with his breakout role as Tom Haverford on the hit NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” and later created and starred in the Netflix series “Master of Nothing,” which earned him two Emmys About his writing.

His career was derailed during the height of the #MeToo movement after an anonymous woman alleged that he was a bad boyfriend and insinuated that he committed sexual misconduct because he did not pick up on “nonverbal clues” that she was uncomfortable with physical intimacy. My supporters have been unfairly lumped in with the worst “Me Too” offenders like Harvey Weinstein and outcast as a result.

Ansari has been slowly rebuilding his career, largely through stand-up. He was among the high-profile comedians who recently performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia – an event that divided Hollywood.

I welcome Al Ansari back to the limelight. He’s a funny guy. His talent was on full display during the first two seasons of “Master of Nothing.” “Good Fortune” isn’t quite on the same level of genius, but it’s still a solid entry on his IMDB page.

Rogen basically plays himself and serves his purpose as wealthy Jeff searching for a shaman. Palmer has a particular warmth that shines through her performance and is able to keep Elena grounded – a role that could easily have turned into preachy amid the union subplot.

The laughs are somewhat inconsistent in “Good Fortune,” but Reeves really gives them their wings as Gabriel, an angel who desperately longs for meaning, and who expresses a childlike innocence as he navigates human life, such as his discovery of “chicken nuggets.”

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Verdict:

A mix of “It’s a Wonderful Life” with “Trading Places,” “Good Luck” may not deliver sustained laughs, but it makes up for it with heartfelt goodness. It’s a commendable directorial debut for Ansari, who will hopefully have more opportunities to make us laugh in the years to come.

★★★ — Stream later

“Good Fortune” is rated R for language and some drug use. Show duration: 1 hour and 38 minutes. In theaters now.

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