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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the fantasy film by actor the director, is struggling at the box office. Several factors could explain its reception: The generic name fails to convey its movie's distinctive charm. Its screenplay can be moralizing and obvious with the messages. Its acting seem uninspired and staged, like the cast are reciting dialogue straight from a script. Moreover, it arrives at a time marked by economic anxiety and inequality, that could make viewers less open to a story which suggests rich individuals enjoy every benefits while those in need possess heart.

But, here's where Good Fortune excels: The film is original, bold, creative, often funny, and certainly timely. Plus, it offers an unexpectedly enjoyable the actor hangout movie.

Reeves in the role of Angel: His Typical Portrayal

Personally, I've not considered Reeves a strong performer. The actor's flat delivery and persistent expression of slight concern have always felt limited, despite his broad range of characters he has taken on during the last 40 years. Smart filmmakers have cast him in parts where his stoic nature fits ideally, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to John Wick. But almost all of those roles required Reeves to seem hardened, distant, and removed.

In Good Fortune, the actor plays an angel, a low-level protecting angel assigned with looking after individuals who use their phones when behind the wheel. His whole duty is sitting in their cars and gently touching the drivers' shoulders when they are about to crash, alerting the person so they brake in time. However, while positioned overlooking the city, looking down upon humanity like an alternative interpretation of a celestial figure from the director's classic movie the angel story, the character gets ambitious. Gabriel wants to be a great guardian and a savior of wayward individuals.

The Surprising Shift: Keanu Playing a Mortal

Therefore, Gabriel reveals himself to down-and-out odd-jobber Arj (played by the director), who is residing out of a vehicle and resenting his situation. The angel proceeds to swaps the man into the life of extremely rich tech mogul Jeff (played by the comedian). The point of the experiment is for Arj to understand Jeff's existence comes with major downsides, and gratefully return to his own life, similar to a figure in It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem was, the character immediately realizes how the mogul's issues (boring meetings, expensive pool-heater invoice) are negligible and easily resolved using money. He also realizes that being affluent opens up limitless opportunities for pleasurable fun. The character has no interest in going back to his own life, and the angel is unable to force Arj to go back. Subsequently, additional bad news arrives: Because of exceeding his duties and disrupting the balance of existence, the character is fired from his angel job, and transformed to a human being.

The Discovery: The Actor Grins

I was not convinced by the actor playing an angel who has grand dreams and an intense desire to make a difference. He turns in the same vaguely constipated performance he has consistently offering for no less than the past 3 decades. Watching him in the role of angel that has recently turned mortal initially, however, was a blast, due to something which truly surprised viewers at first: This is something new for the actor. Or more accurately, something old.

Early into the character's baffling career as a human, clinging to the wealthy character (whom Gabriel had swapped with Arj's hand-to-mouth existence and underemployed situation), Gabriel starts hesitantly experimenting with everyday experiences such as eating and consuming food. And Reeves grins. Authentically, cautiously, joyously smiles. (This is a lot much believable than his grin on the promotional image, that looks digitally altered.)

Why That Grin Matters

The moment truly surprised me to recognize just how surprising and refreshing the smile was. When was the last time audiences observed Keanu Reeves smile in a film where he wasn't expressing ill will, sarcasm, or resentment? The actor probably tries a smile at some point in 2020's ill-conceived Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I'm not returning to that mess to find out. The actor has been typecast with grim, murderous, introspective, or simply serious characters for so long that merely watching Reeves smile seemed like observing an entirely new performer.

As the story goes on, the character finds himself needing to get a dishwashing job, a role that fails to provide enough for survival, and Gabriel begins chain-smoking out of frustration. Just the image of the actor in a disposable plastic food-service hat, his recent trademark locks pulled back in a plain bun, slouching against a building and puffing on a smoke, proves worthy of watching. His kitchen worker getup totally changes his appearance and body: Unexpectedly, the slim, well-dressed action star of the John Wick films becomes gawky, unglamorous, and much more relatable.

The Joy of Watching Reeves Loosen Up

Good Fortune isn't always fun to view, especially when the director (that also wrote the script) must create plausible reasons for {Ar