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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the whimsical film from comedian Aziz Ansari, has been struggling at the box office. Several reasons could account for the film's performance: Its uninspired title fails to express its film's unique appeal. Its screenplay is often preachy and heavy-handed with its messages. The performances seem uninspired and staged, like the cast are reciting lines straight from a script. And, the film comes during an era marked by economic uncertainty and inequality, that may render audiences less open to a story which suggests rich people have every benefits while those in need have heart.

However, here's what the movie excels: It's unique, bold, creative, often funny, and certainly timely. Plus, it offers a great the actor character-driven movie.

Reeves as an Angel: His Typical Performance

I have not considered Keanu Reeves a good actor. The actor's monotonal speaking style and persistent look of slight perturbation has consistently seemed one-note, despite the wide variety of characters he has played during the past 40 years. Astute filmmakers have placed him in roles in which his stoic nature works perfectly, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to the action series. But almost all of these characters called for Reeves to seem hardened, closed-off, or removed.

In Good Fortune, Reeves plays an angel, a minor guardian angel tasked with watching over individuals that use their phones while driving. The character's whole job involves sitting in their vehicles and lightly touching their shoulders when they are close to have an accident, alerting them in order that they brake before impact. However, while positioned high above the city, looking down upon humanity like an alternative version of a celestial figure from Wim Wenders' renowned film Wings of Desire, the character becomes aspirational. He desires to become an exceptional guardian and rescuer of wayward individuals.

A Unexpected Shift: Keanu as a Mortal

Therefore, he reveals himself to struggling handyman a character (played by Aziz Ansari), who is residing in his car and cursing his situation. Gabriel proceeds to swaps Arj into the existence of stupidly wealthy businessman Jeff (acted by Seth Rogen). This idea of the experiment is that the character to realize Jeff's existence comes with major downsides, and thankfully return to his own circumstances, similar to a character from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem is, Arj immediately discovers that Jeff's issues (boring appointments, a pricey pool-heater invoice) are negligible and readily resolved using money. Arj also sees that being affluent opens up limitless opportunities for self-indulgent fun. He shows no desire in returning to his own life, and Gabriel can't compel him to go back. Subsequently, more trouble comes: Because of overstepping his duties and messing with the balance of existence, Gabriel is fired as an angel job, and turned into a mortal.

A Discovery: The Actor Grins

Personally, I remained never persuaded by the actor playing an angel who has grand dreams and an intense desire to make a difference. He delivers a familiar vaguely stiff acting he has been providing for no less than the last 3 ten-year periods. Watching him as an angel that has recently turned human for the first time, however, was highly entertaining, for a reason that truly surprised viewers at first: This is an element new for the actor. Or perhaps to be precise, something from the past.

Soon into his baffling experience being a human, staying with Jeff (who Gabriel had swapped with Arj's hand-to-mouth life and underemployed situation), Gabriel starts hesitantly experimenting with human activities such as chewing and swallowing food. And the actor grins. Genuinely, cautiously, happily smiles. (It's far much convincing than the grin on the promotional image, that looks artificially added.)

Why This Smile Is Significant

The moment truly surprised me to realize how unexpected and welcome the expression felt. At what point did we last audiences saw Keanu Reeves smile in a movie in which he was not showing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? He probably tries a smile somewhere in 2020's misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, but I am not going to returning to the disappointment to find out. Reeves has been typecast with grim, murderous, broody, or simply solemn characters for such a duration that merely seeing Reeves smile felt like seeing a completely different actor.

While the plot progresses, the character finds himself needing to get a kitchen job, which doesn't pay enough for survival, and he begins chain-smoking out of disappointment. Simply the sight of Reeves in a disposable paper food-service hat, with his late-career signature locks tied in a plain ponytail, leaning on a wall and puffing on a cigarette, is worth watching. His kitchen worker attire totally changes his face and posture: Unexpectedly, the lean, suited action star of his famous movies is gawky, unglamorous, and a lot increasingly human.

A Pleasure of Watching Reeves Loosen Up

Good Fortune is not always enjoyable to view, especially when the director (who additionally wrote the script) must create plausible reasons for {Ar