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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the whimsical comedy from actor Aziz Ansari, is struggling in theaters. Many factors could account for its performance: Its generic title doesn't express the film's distinctive charm. The script can be moralizing and heavy-handed with its themes. Its performances seem flat and staged, as if the cast are reciting lines straight from a script. And, it arrives at a time marked by financial uncertainty and disparity, which may render viewers not very receptive to a narrative which suggests wealthy people have all the benefits while those in need have spirit.

But, this is what Good Fortune excels: It's unique, daring, creative, often funny, and undoubtedly relevant. And, it offers an unexpectedly enjoyable Keanu Reeves hangout experience.

Reeves in the role of Angel: His Typical Performance

I have not considered Reeves to be a strong actor. His flat delivery and consistent expression of slight perturbation has always felt limited, despite the wide range of characters he's played over the last 40 of his career. Smart filmmakers have often cast Reeves in parts in which his rigidity fits perfectly, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to John Wick. But almost every one of those roles called for Reeves to seem tough, distant, or removed.

In the film, the actor plays Gabriel, one low-level guardian angel tasked with looking after individuals who text when behind the wheel. His whole job involves remaining in his vehicles and lightly making contact with the drivers' arms as they're about to have an accident, alerting the person so they brake in time. However, while positioned high above the city, gazing on humanity like an alternative version of a celestial figure from the director's classic film the angel story, the character becomes ambitious. He wants to be a great protector and rescuer of lost souls.

A Surprising Turn: Reeves Playing a Mortal

Therefore, he reveals himself to struggling handyman Arj (played by Aziz Ansari), who's living in a vehicle and cursing his situation. Gabriel proceeds to swaps Arj with the existence of stupidly wealthy tech mogul a character (played by the comedian). This point behind the experiment was that Arj would realize the wealthy man's existence comes with major downsides, and gratefully go back to his original circumstances, similar to the character from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem is, Arj immediately discovers how Jeff's issues (tedious meetings, expensive pool-heater bill) prove negligible and readily resolved with wealth. He further realizes how becoming affluent opens up limitless opportunities for self-indulgent enjoyment. The character shows zero desire in going back to his own life, and the angel is unable to force him to return. Subsequently, additional bad news arrives: For exceeding his mandate and disrupting the balance of the world, Gabriel is fired as an angel role, and transformed into a mortal.

The Discovery: Keanu Reeves Smiles

Personally, I remained not convinced by Reeves playing an celestial being with grand dreams and an intense wish to make a difference. Reeves turns in a familiar vaguely stiff acting he has been offering for no less than the past 3 decades. Watching Reeves as an celestial being who's recently turned human for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be a blast, for a reason that truly surprised me at first: This is an element different for Reeves. Or perhaps more accurately, an aspect old.

Soon into the character's baffling career as a human, clinging to Jeff (whom the angel had swapped into Arj's precarious life and jobless status), Gabriel starts tentatively trying out everyday activities like eating and swallowing food. Then Reeves smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, joyously beams. (It's far more believable than the grin on the poster, which appears artificially added.)

Why That Smile Matters

It really surprised me to recognize how surprising and welcome the smile felt. When was the last time we saw Keanu Reeves smile in a movie where he wasn't showing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? He probably attempts a smile somewhere in 2020's ill-conceived Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I am not returning to that mess to find out. Reeves has been typecast with grim, murderous, introspective, or just serious roles for such a duration that just watching Reeves smile felt like seeing an entirely new actor.

As the plot progresses, Gabriel finds himself having to take a kitchen position, which fails to provide sufficient to live on, and Gabriel begins chain-smoking out of frustration. Just the image of Reeves in a cheap plastic food-service hat, with his late-career signature long hair tied in an unglamorous ponytail, slouching on a building and puffing on a smoke, proves worthy of the price of admission. His dishwasher getup totally changes his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the slim, suited action star of the John Wick movies is gawky, unglamorous, and a lot increasingly human.

The Pleasure of Viewing Keanu Relax

The film isn't always enjoyable to view, especially when the director (who additionally wrote the screenplay) has to find plausible explanations for {Ar