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Good Fortune, this whimsical film by actor Aziz Ansari, has been struggling in theaters. Many reasons could explain its performance: The uninspired title fails to express the film's unique appeal. The screenplay can be moralizing and obvious regarding the themes. The performances are flat and presentational, as if the cast were reciting dialogue straight from the page. And, it arrives at a time marked by financial anxiety and inequality, that may render audiences less open to a story that suggests wealthy individuals enjoy every advantages while those in need possess spirit.

However, here's what the movie excels: The film is unique, bold, creative, often humorous, and certainly relevant. And, it offers an unexpectedly great the actor hangout movie.

Keanu Reeves in the role of Angel: A Familiar Performance

Personally, I've not considered Keanu Reeves to be a strong actor. His monotonal delivery and persistent look of mild concern have always seemed one-note, despite his wide range of roles he's taken on during the past four decades years. Astute filmmakers have often cast Reeves in parts in which that stoic nature fits ideally, from his early work to the sci-fi classic to the action series. Yet nearly all of those characters called for him to seem hardened, distant, or removed.

In the film, the actor plays Gabriel, a minor guardian angel tasked with looking after people that text when driving. The character's whole job involves sitting in his vehicles and gently making contact with the drivers' arms as they're about to crash, warning the person in order that the driver stop before impact. However, while standing high above the city, looking down upon humanity like a version of the angel from the director's classic film the angel story, Gabriel becomes aspirational. Gabriel wants to be a great protector and rescuer of lost souls.

The Unexpected Shift: Reeves Playing a Mortal

Therefore, Gabriel presents himself to struggling odd-jobber a character (played by the director), who is living in a vehicle and resenting his life. The angel then swaps Arj into the life of extremely wealthy businessman Jeff (acted by the comedian). The point of the experiment is that Arj to realize the wealthy man's life has significant downsides, and gratefully go back to his own life, much like a figure in the classic film.

Issue is, Arj immediately discovers that Jeff's problems (boring appointments, expensive heating bill) are minor and readily solved with wealth. He further sees how becoming rich provides limitless chances for self-indulgent enjoyment. He shows zero interest in returning to his previous situation, and Gabriel can't force him to go back. Subsequently, more trouble comes: Because of overstepping his duties and messing with the order of existence, Gabriel is fired as an angel job, and transformed to a human being.

A Discovery: The Actor Smiles

Personally, I remained not persuaded by Reeves as an angel who has grand aspirations and an intense wish to make a difference. He delivers the same somewhat constipated performance he has consistently providing for no less than the last three ten-year periods. Watching Reeves as an angel who's just turned mortal initially, on the other hand, proved to be a blast, due to something which really astonished me initially: This is something different for Reeves. Or more accurately, an aspect from the past.

Soon into his confusing experience being a human, clinging to Jeff (whom Gabriel had swapped into the handyman's precarious life and underemployed situation), Gabriel begins tentatively experimenting with everyday experiences like chewing and swallowing food. And the actor smiles. Genuinely, hesitantly, joyously beams. (This is a lot more convincing than the grin on the promotional image, that looks digitally altered.)

The Reason This Grin Is Significant

The moment really surprised me to recognize just how surprising and welcome that expression felt. When did we last audiences saw the actor smile in a movie in which he wasn't expressing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? The actor probably tries a smile at some point in the recent misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I'm not going to returning to that mess to confirm. The actor has remained stuck with grim, murderous, introspective, or simply serious roles for so long that just watching him grin felt like observing an entirely different actor.

As the story goes on, Gabriel ends up having to take a dishwashing position, which fails to provide sufficient to live on, and Gabriel starts chain-smoking out of frustration. Just the sight of the actor in a cheap plastic restaurant cap, with his late-career signature long hair tied in an unglamorous bun, leaning on a building and smoking a smoke, proves worthy of watching. His kitchen worker getup completely alters his appearance and body: Unexpectedly, the lean, well-dressed action star of his famous movies is gawky, unglamorous, and a lot increasingly relatable.

The Pleasure of Viewing Reeves Relax

Good Fortune is not always enjoyable to watch, especially when Ansari (who additionally wrote the screenplay) must create plausible reasons for {Ar