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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, this whimsical film by comedian Aziz Ansari, has been facing challenges in theaters. Many factors could explain the film's reception: The uninspired name fails to express the film's distinctive appeal. The script is often preachy and heavy-handed with its themes. Its acting are uninspired and staged, as if the actors are reading lines directly from the page. And, the film comes during an era of financial anxiety and inequality, which could make viewers not very open to a narrative which implies wealthy individuals have all the advantages while the poor possess spirit.

However, this is what the movie stands out: It's original, daring, creative, often funny, and certainly timely. Plus, it offers a great the actor character-driven movie.

Reeves as an Angel: A Familiar Portrayal

Personally, I've never regarded Reeves to be a strong actor. His flat speaking style and consistent expression of slight perturbation has always seemed limited, despite the wide variety of roles he has played over the past 40 years. Astute directors have placed Reeves in roles in which that stoic nature fits perfectly, from his early work to the sci-fi classic to the action series. But almost all of those characters called for Reeves to appear hardened, closed-off, or removed.

Throughout Good Fortune, the actor plays Gabriel, one minor protecting angel assigned with looking after individuals who use their phones when behind the wheel. His whole duty is sitting in their cars and lightly making contact with the drivers' arms as they're close to crash, warning the person in order that the driver stop before impact. But, when standing overlooking the city, gazing on the mortal world like an alternative version of a celestial figure in the director's classic film the angel story, Gabriel becomes aspirational. Gabriel desires to be a great protector and rescuer of wayward individuals.

The Surprising Turn: Reeves Playing a Human

So, Gabriel reveals himself to down-and-out handyman Arj (played by Aziz Ansari), who's living in his car and cursing his situation. The angel proceeds to swaps the man with the existence of stupidly rich tech mogul Jeff (acted by the comedian). This idea behind the experiment was that Arj would understand the wealthy man's life has major downsides, and gratefully return to his original life, much like the figure in the classic film.

Issue was, the character immediately realizes that Jeff's issues (boring appointments, expensive pool-heater invoice) prove negligible and easily solved with wealth. He also realizes how becoming rich opens up limitless opportunities for pleasurable fun. He has zero interest in returning to his own life, and the angel can't force him to return. Subsequently, more trouble arrives: Because of overstepping his mandate and disrupting the balance of existence, Gabriel loses his position from his angel role, and turned to a mortal.

A Revelation: The Actor Grins

Personally, I remained not convinced by the actor as an angel with big dreams and a burning desire to effect change. Reeves delivers the same somewhat constipated acting he's been providing for no less than the past three ten-year periods. Watching him in the role of angel that has just become human for the first time, on the other hand, was highly entertaining, for a reason that truly astonished me at first: It's something new for Reeves. Or perhaps more accurately, an aspect old.

Early during the character's confusing career being a human, staying with Jeff (whom the angel had swapped into Arj's hand-to-mouth existence and jobless status), the character starts tentatively experimenting with everyday experiences such as chewing and swallowing meals. Then the actor smiles. Authentically, hesitantly, happily smiles. (This is far much convincing than his smile on the poster, that looks artificially added.)

The Reason This Grin Is Significant

The moment truly surprised me to realize just how unexpected and welcome that smile felt. When was the last time we observed the actor grin in a film where he was not showing malice, sarcasm, or resentment? He likely attempts a smile somewhere in 2020's ill-conceived Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I'm not going to returning to the disappointment to find out. The actor has been typecast with grim, violent, broody, or just serious characters for so long that just seeing him grin seemed like observing an entirely new performer.

While the plot goes on, Gabriel finds himself needing to take a kitchen job, a role that doesn't pay sufficient to live on, and Gabriel starts chain-smoking out of frustration. Simply the image of the actor in a cheap plastic food-service hat, his late-career trademark locks pulled back in an unglamorous bun, slouching against a wall and smoking a smoke, proves worthy of watching. The dishwasher attire completely changes his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the lean, suited physical powerhouse of his famous movies becomes gawky, unglamorous, and a lot increasingly human.

A Pleasure of Viewing Reeves Relax

Good Fortune is not consistently fun to watch, especially when the director (who also authored the script) must find believable reasons for {Ar