Star Cast: Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves
Director: Aziz Ansari
Good Fortune Movie Review Synopsis:
GOOD FORTUNE is the story of a struggling gig worker and an angel. Arj (Aziz Ansari) is a documentary editor who is doing multiple jobs to make ends meet. He works part-time in a retail hardware store called Hardware Heaven, where he meets Elena (Keke Palmer). Sparks fly between the two. He goes to the mansion of Jeff (Seth Rogen); impressed by the former’s work, the latter employs him as his assistant. All is going well until Jeff fires Arj for a flimsy reason. The same night, his car gets towed. Arj is devastated as he had no place to stay and used to sleep in his vehicle. Unknown to Arj, he is being watched by Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), an angel. Gabriel breaks the rule and appears in front of Arj, hoping to make him feel better. But it leads to disastrous consequences for Arj, Gabriel and even Jeff. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Good Fortune Movie Story Review:
Aziz Ansari’s story is impressive. Aziz Ansari’s screenplay is fine but has several rough edges. The dialogues are functional. As it happens with films released by PVR Inox Pictures, there are no subtitles and hence, some dialogues might not be easy to comprehend.
Aziz Ansari’s direction is okay. To give credit where it’s due, he keeps the duration in check (97 minutes) and packs in a lot. The film genuinely has some funny moments. The casting is impressive and Aziz has extracted a fine performance from himself and from the other actors. The message is also quite impactful and the film ensures that viewers will realize the tough life of gig workers.
On the flipside, with such a plot and star cast, the makers could have delivered a laugh riot, but they fail to do so. The change of heart of the principal character in the end is very convenient. It is also strange that the hospital is barely shown, though it plays a crucial role in the narrative. In fact, this and a few other scenes give a low-budget feel, as if the makers were trying to cut costs. Lastly, its prospects in India are fairly dim.
Good Fortune Movie Review Performances:
Aziz Ansari is satisfactory as an actor and gets his act right. Seth Rogen, as always, is dependable. Keanu Reeves is the best part of the film and enhances the impact in several scenes. He’s very adorable, more so in the latter part of the film. Keke Palmer lends able support while Sandra Oh (Martha; angel) is fine.
Good Fortune movie music and other technical aspects:
Carter Burwell’s music is effective. Adam Newport-Berra’s cinematography is neat. April Napier’s costumes and Kay Lee’s production design are realistic. Daniel Haworth’s editing is slick.
Good Fortune Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, GOOD FORTUNE rests on a novel idea and Keanu Reeves’ adorable performance. However, the film suffers due to its faulty writing. At the box office, it’ll face a very tough time due to limited awareness and the onslaught of Diwali releases from Tuesday. Moreover, this clean, family-friendly film has needlessly been given an ‘A’ certificate, which would further limit its prospects.