Good Fortune review: A silly comedy about the times we live in
Aziz Ansari has been writing and directing TV and stand-up projects for years, and now he’s finally bringing us his feature directorial debut Good Fortune.
In this comedy, which he also wrote, Ansari plays Arj, a down-on-his-luck man who cannot get a full-time job so he makes ends meet by picking up casual gigs on Tasker. His budget guardian angel, Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), who is in charge of preventing texting while driving accidents, takes a liking to Arj and decides to help him out. With his magic, he makes Arj temporarily switch lives with his rich former employer Jeff (Seth Rogen). He hopes to make Arj realise his life is better than Jeff’s, but it doesn’t go to plan.
Good Fortune is a solid, lovely film with a lot of laughs and a surprising amount to say about class, rich vs poor, the gig economy and how hard it is to make ends meet in this cost-of-living crisis. Of course, Arj was going to love his venture capitalist life after months of living in his car. But that’s not the deal, and he has to swap back with Jeff eventually. In the meantime, Jeff has to pick up casual jobs and live in a hostel and realise how hard some people have to work for so little money.
It was a genius idea to make Gabriel become human as a punishment. He has nowhere to go and no money, so he has to get his own job and share a room with Jeff. It’s so funny seeing Reeves trying “chicken nuggies” for the first time and becoming a chain-smoking dishwasher. It’s nice to see him doing something light-hearted every so often. Ansari and Rogen are brilliantly funny, but that’s always the case with these reliable comedians.
I had a great time with Good Fortune, a silly and entertaining comedy with a surprising insight into the times we’re living in.
In cinemas from Friday 17th October