🔗 Share this article

Good Fortune, the fantasy film from comedian Aziz Ansari, has been struggling in theaters. Many reasons may explain its reception: Its generic name fails to express the film's distinctive appeal. The screenplay is often moralizing and heavy-handed with its messages. The acting seem uninspired and staged, as if the cast are reading dialogue straight from a script. Moreover, the film comes during an era marked by economic uncertainty and disparity, which could make audiences less receptive to a narrative which implies rich people have every benefits while the poor possess spirit.

However, this is what the movie stands out: It's original, bold, creative, often funny, and certainly relevant. And, it offers an unexpectedly enjoyable Keanu Reeves hangout movie.

Keanu Reeves in the role of Guardian: A Familiar Portrayal

Personally, I've never considered Reeves to be a strong actor. The actor's flat speaking style and consistent expression of slight concern has always felt limited, despite his broad range of characters he has played during the last four decades of his career. Smart filmmakers have cast him in roles in which his rigidity fits ideally, including My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to John Wick. But nearly all of those roles required him to appear tough, closed-off, or detached.

In the film, Reeves portrays an angel, a low-level protecting angel assigned with looking after people that text when behind the wheel. His whole duty involves sitting in his vehicles and gently touching their shoulders as they are close to crash, alerting the person in order that the driver brake before impact. However, while standing high above his domain, looking down on humanity similar to an alternative interpretation of a celestial figure in the director's renowned movie the angel story, Gabriel becomes aspirational. He wants to be a great guardian and a savior of lost individuals.

A Unexpected Shift: Keanu Playing a Human

Therefore, Gabriel presents his presence to down-and-out odd-jobber a character (played by the director), who's living in a vehicle and cursing his situation. Gabriel proceeds to swaps the man into the existence of extremely rich tech mogul a character (acted by the comedian). This point of the experiment was for Arj would realize the wealthy man's life has major drawbacks, and gratefully return to his original circumstances, much like the figure from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem was, the character right away discovers that Jeff's issues (boring appointments, a pricey pool-heater bill) are negligible and readily solved using wealth. He also sees how being affluent provides limitless chances for self-indulgent fun. He shows no interest in returning to his own situation, and the angel is unable to force Arj to return. Then, additional trouble arrives: Because of overstepping his mandate and messing with the balance of existence, the character is fired as an celestial role, and turned to a mortal.

The Revelation: Keanu Reeves Grins

I was never persuaded by the actor as an celestial being who has big aspirations and an intense desire to effect change. He turns in a familiar vaguely constipated acting he has been offering for no less than the last 3 ten-year periods. Viewing him in the role of angel that has just become mortal initially, on the other hand, was a blast, for a reason which really astonished me at first: It's something new for the actor. Or perhaps more accurately, something old.

Early into his confusing experience being a human, clinging to Jeff (who Gabriel exchanged with the handyman's precarious existence and jobless situation), Gabriel starts tentatively trying out everyday experiences like eating and swallowing meals. And the actor grins. Authentically, hesitantly, happily beams. (It's a lot more convincing than his smile shown in the promotional image, that looks artificially added.)

Why This Grin Matters

The moment truly took me aback to realize how unexpected and refreshing the smile felt. At what point was the last time audiences observed Keanu Reeves grin in a movie where he wasn't showing ill will, sarcasm, or bitterness? He probably tries a smile somewhere in the recent misbegotten the sequel, but I'm not going to revisiting that disappointment to find out. The actor has been typecast with grim, murderous, broody, or simply serious characters for such a duration that just seeing him smile felt like seeing an entirely different performer.

While the plot goes on, the character finds himself having to take a kitchen position, a role that doesn't pay sufficient for survival, and Gabriel starts smoking heavily out of frustration. Simply the sight of the actor in a cheap plastic food-service cap, with his recent signature long hair tied in a plain ponytail, leaning on a wall and smoking a cigarette, proves worthy of the price of admission. His kitchen worker attire totally alters his appearance and posture: Unexpectedly, the lean, suited action star of the John Wick films becomes gawky, ordinary, and a lot more human.

The Joy of Watching Keanu Relax

The film is not always enjoyable to watch, particularly when Ansari (who additionally authored the script) has to find plausible reasons for {Ar