Good Fortune was a movie I saw the trailer for at CinemaCon 2024, and I was intrigued by the premise. Then it was sort of radio silence for the movie after that. It was supposed to be released in early 2025 and was then moved to its final release date of October 2025. The movie combines the premise of Freaky Friday with a little bit of It’s A Wonderful Life and comedic elements of more modern movies. Realistically, you could have gotten my ass into a seat by saying that Keanu Reeves was playing someone’s guardian angel.
There’s more to like with Aziz Ansari directing, writing, and starring in the film, and Seth Rogen also starring in it. Ansari stars as Arj, a gig-worker who is massively down on his luck. He does small-time jobs, works part-time at a hardware store, and is just on the struggle bus currently. Seth Rogen is the opposite end of the coin; he plays Jeff, a tech bro who’s “self-made” millions give him a life of luxury and a house on the hill that physically looks down on all the people of Los Angeles. Keke Palmer plays Elena, a love interest for Arj and someone he meets at his part-time hardware store job. Finally, Keanu Reeves plays Gabriel, a lower-end angel who protects people from texting and driving, of all things.
Arj comes into a job cleaning up Jeff’s garage and sees the absolute luxury on display. One thing leads to another. Arj gets a job as an assistant with Jeff, but then loses that job in the span of a week because of a silly mistake. Gabriel then intervenes and wants to show Arj that his life is worth living, but that backfires.
That premise for Good Fortune is gold. However, my biggest gripe with the film is the message, though. It does do an admirable job of trying to make it seem like your own life is worth it. But it still doesn’t do a good enough job. The film even makes plenty of jokes about it. Arj’s life sucks. He lives in his car. Jeff’s life rocks. He doesn’t have to work, really. He can just cold plunge-sauna all day and have rocking sushi. There’s plenty more people like Arj than Jeff, and the film feels a bit disingenous in that way. You’re watching it, but you know that Ansari, Reeves, Rogen, and almost everyone else involved is in the Jeff camp, rather than the Arj camp.
With that being said, Good Fortune is still absolutely hilarious. Ansari and Rogen are a given for being funny, but Keanu Reeves is the highlight when it comes to the laughs here. His role changes throughout the film, from that of an angel to a normal human, who must live a life of hardship and pain.
The score and soundtrack for the film is a particular highlight as well. There are loads of great needle drops that accentuate the scenes on display. In a lot of movies these days, the score and soundtrack feels like an afterthought. Here, it feels like another character.
Good Fortune ends up as a film that wants to tell you to love your life and live it to the fullest. It just muddles that message a bit. The hilarity shines through any of the issues and Seth Rogen even gives a speech at the end of the movie that you wish anyone in his tech bro situation would actually give. There’s a lot to like here, so if you get past the issues, you’re in for a great time.
Good Fortune releases in theaters on October 17th.
