🔗 Share this article

Good Fortune, the whimsical comedy by comedian the director, is facing challenges in theaters. Several factors could account for its performance: Its uninspired title doesn't express its film's distinctive charm. Its screenplay can be preachy and heavy-handed regarding the messages. Its performances seem flat and staged, as if the actors were reciting dialogue directly from a script. Moreover, the film comes during an era marked by economic anxiety and disparity, which could render viewers less receptive to a story which implies wealthy people enjoy all the advantages while the poor have heart.

However, here's where Good Fortune stands out: It's unique, daring, creative, often funny, and certainly relevant. Plus, it provides a enjoyable the actor character-driven movie.

Reeves in the role of Angel: A Familiar Performance

Personally, I've never considered Keanu Reeves a strong actor. The actor's flat delivery and persistent look of mild perturbation has always felt one-note, regardless of the broad variety of roles he has taken on over the past four decades years. Smart directors have often cast Reeves in parts in which his stoic nature works ideally, including My Own Private Idaho to the sci-fi classic to John Wick. But almost all of those characters required him to seem hardened, distant, or removed.

Throughout Good Fortune, the actor portrays Gabriel, one minor protecting angel tasked with looking after people who use their phones while driving. The character's entire job is sitting in their vehicles and lightly making contact with the drivers' shoulders as they are about to crash, warning them in order that they stop in time. However, when standing overlooking the city, looking down upon the mortal world like a version of the angel in the director's renowned film Wings of Desire, Gabriel gets aspirational. Gabriel wants to become a great protector and rescuer of wayward souls.

A Unexpected Shift: Keanu Playing a Human

Therefore, he presents his presence to down-and-out handyman Arj (portrayed by Aziz Ansari), who's living out of a vehicle and resenting his situation. The angel proceeds to exchanges the man into the life of extremely wealthy tech mogul a character (acted by the comedian). The idea behind the exercise is that Arj to realize the wealthy man's existence comes with significant drawbacks, and gratefully go back to his original circumstances, similar to the character from the classic film.

Problem was, Arj right away realizes how Jeff's problems (boring appointments, a pricey heating invoice) prove minor and readily resolved using money. He also sees that being affluent opens up endless chances for self-indulgent fun. The character has zero interest in returning to his own life, and Gabriel can't force him to return. Subsequently, additional bad news arrives: Because of exceeding his mandate and messing with the order of existence, Gabriel loses his position as an celestial job, and transformed into a human being.

The Revelation: The Actor Smiles

I was not convinced by Reeves playing an angel who has big dreams and a burning wish to effect change. He turns in the same somewhat stiff acting he has consistently providing for no less than the past three decades. Viewing Reeves in the role of celestial being who's just turned human initially, however, proved to be highly entertaining, for a reason that really astonished viewers at first: It's something new for Reeves. Or perhaps more accurately, an aspect old.

Soon during his confusing experience being a mortal, clinging to the wealthy character (who the angel had swapped into the handyman's hand-to-mouth life and jobless status), the character begins hesitantly trying out everyday activities like eating and swallowing food. Then the actor smiles. Genuinely, hesitantly, happily smiles. (It's a lot much believable than the grin on the poster, that appears artificially added.)

Why That Smile Is Significant

It really took me aback to realize just how unexpected and welcome that expression felt. At what point was the last time we saw Keanu Reeves grin in a film in which he was not expressing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? He probably attempts a smile at some point in 2020's ill-conceived the sequel, but I am not going to returning to the mess to confirm. Reeves has remained typecast with serious, violent, broody, or just serious characters for so long that merely watching him smile seemed like observing an entirely different performer.

While the story goes on, Gabriel finds himself having to get a kitchen job, which fails to provide enough to live on, and he starts smoking heavily due to disappointment. Simply the image of the actor in a cheap plastic restaurant hat, his late-career trademark locks pulled back in a plain bun, leaning against a wall and puffing on a smoke, is worthy of watching. His kitchen worker getup totally alters his appearance and posture: Unexpectedly, the slim, suited action star of the John Wick movies is awkward, unglamorous, and a lot more human.

The Joy of Watching Keanu Relax

Good Fortune is not always fun to watch, especially when the director (that also authored the screenplay) must create believable reasons for {Ar