Review ‘Good Fortune’: Aziz Ansari stars in a rags-to-riches satire with heart

Who said money can’t buy you happiness? That is certainly possible in this economy.

Lionsgate’s new comedy “Good Fortune” stars Aziz Ansari as Arj, a freelance documentary editor who sleeps in his car as he struggles to make ends meet in Los Angeles’ gig economy. He works part-time at Hardware Heaven and works as a ‘task sergeant’, contracting various tasks through an app service. He lives off tips and five-star reviews. Everything that fails them is pure pain.

Arj is hired by venture capitalist Jeff (Seth Rogen) to organize the garage of his luxury home at the top of the hill. Arj convinces Jeff to hire him as an assistant. Unfortunately, the fun gig only lasts so long before Jeff fires him for a serious mistake.

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The film also follows Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), an unfulfilled guardian angel who is stuck in a menial job and saves people who text while driving, with only small wings to show for it. Gabriel longs for something enriching, like fellow angel Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who is responsible for saving lost souls and boasts large, beautiful wings, a higher status symbol in the angelic community.

Arj and Gabriel’s paths collide after Gabriel saves Arj’s life, although the angel noticed the message Arj was about to send, implying that he had given up on life. Gabriel urges his boss, Martha from Angel Management (Sandra Oh), to allow him to save Arj’s soul. Martha tells Gabriel to stay in his lane (perhaps literally), but he can’t resist.

Just when things can’t get any worse for Arj, Gabriel introduces himself in hopes of convincing Arj that his life is worth living. In doing so, Gabriel offers a glimpse into Arj’s future, which involves using a “pee bottle” as a delivery boy, living in a crowded house, and being unable to afford treatment for his own sick dog. Arj was not exactly impressed by what awaited him.

Gabriel then presents Arj with an alternative: swapping his life with Jeff’s for a week. However, he warns Arj that Jeff’s life “isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” However, Arj soon discovers that this is in fact all it is intended for. Who could complain about pool parties, fancy dinners, and Jeff being your assistant without any memory of his past life?

Furious that he didn’t follow her orders, Martha asks why Gabriel did what he did.

“I tried to show him that wealth wouldn’t solve all his problems… It seems to have solved most of his problems,” Gabriel tells Martha. She takes his wings as punishment and tells him that he can only earn them back if Arj voluntarily returns to his old life.

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Keanu Reeves as Gabriel and Sandra Oh as Martha in Good Fortune. (Eddy Chen/Lionsgate)

Deterred by the wrong lesson Arj learned from the life swap, Gabriel gives Jeff his memory back, leaving him furious that Arj stole his life. Arj challenges Jeff that he can’t stay in his shoes. Gabriel comes to an agreement that Arj can sustain Jeff’s wealthy lifestyle for a few more days before the two switch back gears. Of course, it doesn’t quite work out that way.

Arj lives Jeff’s life and must once again win over his former Hardware Heaven colleague Elena (Keke Palmer), who he had pursued in his previous life but has no memory of him after the switch. Like Arj, Elena also struggles with the gig economy. She takes a job at Hardware Heaven to get discounted wood to pursue her passion for furniture making. But instead of wallowing in misery like Arj, she tries to change the poor working conditions by encouraging her colleagues to join a union.

However, the longer Arj continues to live the good life, the more alienated he becomes from Elena’s struggles with which he once identified. Meanwhile, Gabriel must adapt to human life and the ups and downs that come with it, while trying to undo the mess he’s made.

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Aziz Ansari as Arj and Keke Palmer as Elena in ‘Good Fortune’. (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

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“Good Fortune” explores the lives of the haves and the have-nots in the 21st century and how not everyone, like Jeff, is fortunate enough to come from a privileged background. That said, it doesn’t demonize the wealthy the way progressives often do. Jeff isn’t bad. Is he too spoiled and perhaps out of touch with the working class? Certainly. That’s a far cry from a Mr. Potter or a Mr. Burns.

Ansari, who also wrote and directed “Good Fortune,” rose to fame in the comedy world with his breakout role as Tom Haverford on the hit NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and later created and starred in the Netflix series “Master of None,” which earned him two Emmys for his writing.

His career was derailed during the height of the #MeToo movement after an anonymous woman claimed he was a bad date and insinuated that he committed sexual misconduct because he failed to pick up on her “nonverbal cues” that she was uncomfortable with the physical intimacy. Ansari was unfairly lumped in with the worst Me Too offenders like Harvey Weinstein and ostracized as a result.

Ansari has slowly rebuilt his career, largely through stand-up. He was among the high-profile comedians who recently performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia – an event that has divided Hollywood.

I welcome Ansari’s return to the spotlight. He’s a funny guy. His talent is on full display during the first two seasons of “Master of None.” “Good Fortune” isn’t exactly on the same level of his brilliance, but it’s still a solid entry into his IMDB page.

Rogen essentially plays himself and serves his purpose as the wealthy, shaman-seeking Jeff. Palmer has a particular warmth that shines through her performances and is able to keep Elena grounded – a role that could easily have become preachy amid the union subplot.

The laughs are quite inconsistent in “Good Fortune,” but Reeves really gives it wings as Gabriel, an angel desperate for meaning and who expresses a childlike innocence as he navigates human life, such as his discovery of “chicken nuggies.”

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Keanu Reeves as Gabriel, Seth Rogen as Jeff and Aziz Ansari as Arj in ‘Good Fortune’. (Eddy Chen/Lionsgate)

The verdict:

A mix of “It’s a Wonderful Life” with “Trading Places” and “Good Fortune” may fall short when it comes to consistent laughs, but it makes up for it in heart and soul. It’s a commendable directorial debut from Ansari, who will hopefully have more opportunities to make us laugh in the years to come.

★★★ — STREAM IT LATER

“Good Fortune” is rated R for language and some drug use. Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. Now in cinemas.

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