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By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
In a film that gives a comic twist to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Keanu Reeves once again lands himself in a role for which he’s perfectly suited. “Good Fortune” is a swapping lives type of comedy that serves as a lighter version of 1983’s “Trading Places.” This modernized version features a bevy of comedic actors who provide a decent measure of amusement despite the almost whimsical nature of the plot.
Working a plethora of jobs just to barely get by, Arj (Aziz Ansari) begins to lose hope for his future after he gets fired and his car/apartment gets towed. As an angel attempting to more positively impact people’s lives than simply preventing car accidents from texting and driving, Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) sees an opportunity to help Arj. He magically switches his life with Jeff (Seth Rogen), a multi-millionaire, to try showing him that being wealthy is not all it’s cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the lesson backfires as all of Arj’s previous problems disappear and are inherited by Jeff. If Gabriel can’t persuade Arj to return to his old life, then he could lose his wings permanently.
Comedian Aziz Ansari triples his responsibility with “Good Fortune” by writing, directing, and starring in the lead role. With this being his feature film debut as a writer/director, he does a serviceable job crafting a charming, somewhat entertaining movie. It is obvious his influence was 1983’s “Trading Places,” using a similar life swap schtick of an extremely wealthy venture capitalist becoming an impoverished homeless person and vice versa. Despite the R-rating, Ansari plays this much safer than that Eddie Murphy/Dan Akroyd flick. He seems content with humor that only scratches the surface, avoiding taking bigger risks to get bigger laughs. For instance, when Gabriel the angel becomes human, Ansari goes for the simple cutesy humor like experiencing hunger for the first time instead of more realistic, adult level comedy. Sure, he’s able to generate some light chuckles through situational comedy here and there but falls short in obtaining that sidesplitting laughter to make it more memorable.
With truly funny moments in short supply, the pacing slows to a crawl at times, complicated further by Ansari’s decision to introduce heartfelt, sympathetic scenes that change the tone to a more serious one. This is his attempt to connect with viewers by showing an understanding of the economic difficulties of today’s life. While it is refreshing to see Ansari update this overdone story to make it more relatable in today’s world, he takes it a bit too seriously by including moral lectures that feel unnecessary. Not only that, but the writing is clunky at times with inconsistencies and gaps in common sense, particularly after the switcheroo takes place.
Even though the cast is pretty loaded with talent, Keanu Reeves is the true bright spot as the small-winged angel who has a bad case of wing envy. He purposefully channels his Ted character from the “Bill & Ted” movies to supply this angelic character with a healthy dose of naivete and simplemindedness that enhance his character’s charm. Through these efforts, he generates a majority of the comical situations, especially after he loses his wings.
Seth Rogen is the perfect choice as the rich investor turned vagabond unable to rub two pennies together. He brings authentic and relatable frustration as he’s suddenly forced to work extremely hard day and night only to earn a meager minimum wage. Once again, Keke Palmer impresses with her acting talents portraying Ansari’s love interest. Like she demonstrated in “One of Them Days” earlier this year, she has a very natural line delivery with a sharp wit that makes her fun to watch. This is an actress whose career will continue to rise as she gets more roles.
Just like a fortune cookie, this movie is a cliché wrapped in a bland cracker. However, “Good Fortune” has just enough entertainment value to make it a worthy option for a movie night at home. It is simply not memorable enough or unique enough to warrant a trip to the theater.
This movie earns:
