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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the fantasy film by actor Aziz Ansari, has been struggling at the box office. Several reasons could account for its reception: Its uninspired name fails to convey the movie's distinctive charm. The script is often moralizing and heavy-handed with its themes. Its acting seem uninspired and staged, like the cast were reciting lines directly from a script. Moreover, the film comes at a time marked by economic anxiety and inequality, which may make audiences less receptive to a story which suggests rich individuals have every benefits while those in need have heart.

But, this is where Good Fortune excels: The film is unique, daring, imaginative, frequently funny, and undoubtedly relevant. Plus, it provides a enjoyable the actor character-driven movie.

Keanu Reeves as an Guardian: A Familiar Portrayal

Personally, I've never considered Keanu Reeves to be a strong actor. His monotonal speaking style and consistent look of slight concern have consistently felt one-note, regardless of the broad range of roles he has played during the past four decades years. Smart filmmakers have often cast Reeves in roles where that stoic nature fits perfectly, including My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to the action series. Yet nearly all of those roles called for Reeves to appear tough, closed-off, and detached.

In the film, the actor plays Gabriel, one minor guardian angel assigned with watching over people who text when driving. His entire duty is sitting in their vehicles and gently making contact with the drivers' shoulders when they are close to have an accident, warning them so the driver stop in time. But, while standing overlooking the city, gazing on the mortal world like an alternative version of a celestial figure in Wim Wenders' classic movie the angel story, Gabriel gets aspirational. He desires to be an exceptional protector and rescuer of wayward souls.

The Unexpected Shift: Keanu Playing a Mortal

Therefore, he reveals his presence to struggling odd-jobber a character (portrayed by Aziz Ansari), who is living out of his car and resenting his life. Gabriel proceeds to exchanges the man into the existence of extremely rich businessman a character (played by Seth Rogen). The point of the exercise was that Arj to understand Jeff's existence has significant drawbacks, and gratefully go back to his own life, much like a character from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem was, the character right away realizes that Jeff's issues (boring meetings, a pricey pool-heater invoice) are negligible and easily solved with wealth. He also realizes how being affluent opens up endless chances for pleasurable fun. The character shows no desire in going back to his previous life, and the angel can't compel Arj to return. Subsequently, additional trouble arrives: For exceeding his duties and disrupting the balance of the world, Gabriel is fired from his angel role, and turned into a human being.

The Discovery: The Actor Grins

Personally, I remained not convinced by Reeves as an angel with big aspirations and a burning wish to effect change. He turns in a familiar vaguely stiff acting he's consistently offering for no less than the last three ten-year periods. Watching him in the role of celestial being who's just become mortal initially, however, proved to be a blast, due to something that truly astonished viewers at first: This is an element different for Reeves. Or perhaps more accurately, something from the past.

Soon into his baffling experience being a mortal, clinging to the wealthy character (who the angel exchanged into Arj's hand-to-mouth life and underemployed status), the character begins tentatively experimenting with human experiences like eating and swallowing food. And Reeves smiles. Authentically, cautiously, happily beams. (This is far much convincing than the smile shown in the promotional image, which appears artificially added.)

The Reason This Grin Is Significant

The moment really took me aback to realize just how surprising and welcome that smile felt. At what point was the last time audiences observed the actor grin in a film in which he wasn't showing malice, sarcasm, or resentment? He likely attempts a smile at some point in the recent misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, but I'm not going to revisiting that mess to confirm. The actor has been typecast with grim, murderous, introspective, or simply serious characters for such a duration that merely watching him smile felt like seeing an entirely new actor.

As the story progresses, the character finds himself having to take a kitchen job, a role that fails to provide sufficient for survival, and Gabriel starts smoking heavily out of disappointment. Simply the image of the actor in a cheap plastic restaurant hat, with his recent trademark locks pulled back in an unglamorous ponytail, slouching on a building and puffing on a cigarette, proves worthy of the price of admission. His kitchen worker attire totally alters his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the slim, suited action star of his famous films is gawky, unglamorous, and a lot more relatable.

A Pleasure of Viewing Keanu Relax

Good Fortune isn't always fun to view, especially when the director (who additionally wrote the screenplay) has to create plausible explanations for {Ar