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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, this fantasy film by actor Aziz Ansari, is facing challenges at the box office. Several reasons could explain its performance: Its generic name doesn't convey the film's unique appeal. Its script can be preachy and heavy-handed regarding its themes. The performances are uninspired and presentational, as if the cast are reciting dialogue straight from a script. Moreover, it arrives at a time of financial anxiety and inequality, that could render audiences not very receptive to a narrative which implies rich people enjoy all the benefits while those in need have heart.

However, this is what the movie excels: It's unique, daring, imaginative, often humorous, and undoubtedly relevant. Plus, it offers an unexpectedly enjoyable the actor hangout experience.

Reeves in the role of Angel: His Typical Portrayal

Personally, I've not regarded Reeves a strong performer. The actor's flat delivery and persistent look of mild concern has consistently felt limited, despite his wide variety of roles he has taken on over the last four decades of his career. Astute filmmakers have often placed Reeves in roles where that stoic nature works perfectly, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to the action series. But nearly all of these roles called for Reeves to seem tough, distant, and detached.

In Good Fortune, the actor portrays Gabriel, a minor guardian celestial being tasked with looking after individuals who use their phones when behind the wheel. The character's whole job is remaining in their cars and gently touching their arms as they are close to have an accident, alerting the person in order that they brake before impact. However, while standing overlooking his domain, looking down upon the mortal world like an alternative version of the angel in the director's renowned movie the angel story, the character gets aspirational. Gabriel wants to become a great protector and rescuer of wayward individuals.

A Unexpected Shift: Reeves Playing a Mortal

Therefore, Gabriel presents his presence to struggling odd-jobber Arj (portrayed by the director), who is living in a vehicle and resenting his situation. The angel then swaps Arj with the existence of stupidly rich businessman Jeff (acted by the comedian). The idea behind the experiment is for Arj to realize Jeff's existence has significant drawbacks, and gratefully return to his original circumstances, much like the character in It's a Wonderful Life.

Issue is, the character immediately discovers that the mogul's problems (tedious meetings, expensive heating invoice) prove minor and easily solved using wealth. He further realizes that being affluent opens up endless opportunities for self-indulgent enjoyment. The character has no desire in going back to his own life, and the angel is unable to force him to return. Then, more bad news comes: Because of exceeding his duties and disrupting the balance of the world, the character is fired from his celestial role, and transformed into a mortal.

A Revelation: The Actor Grins

Personally, I remained never convinced by Reeves as an angel with big dreams and a burning desire to effect change. Reeves turns in a familiar vaguely constipated performance he's been providing for at least the past 3 ten-year periods. Watching Reeves as an angel that has recently become human initially, however, was highly entertaining, for a reason that really astonished viewers at first: This is something new for Reeves. Or perhaps to be precise, an aspect old.

Early into the character's confusing experience as a mortal, staying with Jeff (who Gabriel had swapped into Arj's hand-to-mouth existence and jobless situation), the character begins hesitantly trying out human experiences such as chewing and consuming meals. Then Reeves smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, joyously smiles. (This is a lot more convincing than his grin shown in the poster, which looks artificially added.)

Why That Grin Matters

The moment really surprised me to recognize just how surprising and refreshing the expression was. At what point was the last time we saw the actor smile in a movie in which he wasn't showing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? The actor probably attempts a smile somewhere in the recent ill-conceived the sequel, however I'm not going to revisiting that disappointment to find out. The actor has been stuck with serious, murderous, broody, or simply serious roles for such a duration that merely watching Reeves smile felt like observing a completely different actor.

As the plot goes on, Gabriel ends up having to get a kitchen job, which fails to provide sufficient for survival, and Gabriel starts smoking heavily due to disappointment. Simply the image of the actor in a disposable paper food-service cap, his recent trademark long hair pulled back in a plain ponytail, leaning on a building and smoking a smoke, is worth watching. The kitchen worker getup totally alters his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the slim, suited action star of his famous films is awkward, unglamorous, and a lot more relatable.

The Pleasure of Watching Reeves Loosen Up

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