Movies

Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) discusses problem solving with Martha (Sandra Oh) in Good Fortune
Film Clip: Lionsgate

Good Fortune
Directed by Aziz Ansari
Rated R
Saved 17 October 2025
#GoodFortune

Clever and thoughtful, Good Fortune is a pleasant surprise overstuffed with goodwill.

Send Me an Angel

Consider it as something of a modern spin on It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. Sorta. Good Fortune’s not a holiday movie, but the spirit is there.

Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) has already earned his wings, but they’re a little small. At least for now. He’s learning all the ins and outs of angelic intercession as the lead for "texting and driving" interventions. With a gentle tap on the shoulder, he jostles drivers out of their distractions, getting their eyes back on the road and narrowly avoiding an accident of life, limb and metal.

But Gabriel has big aspirations. While other angels have specialties like avalanche victims or inspirational duties for literary dreamers. One has a niche within a niche, providing inspiration to musicians dreaming about becoming the next big thing in jazz/fusion.

But, in Gabriel’s eyes, the real glory is in lost souls. That’s where the real difference is made. However, Gabriel’s ambitions are tamped down by Martha (Sandra Oh), the heavenly manager of angels.

You see, lost souls are actually hard to spot. And – noted with quite a bit of honest heart – it’s more often a case of one person simply needing to find the company of another person.

To heck with that, though. Gabriel finds himself a lost soul. After all, Arj (Aziz Ansari) is spotted cradling his head in his hands, the universal gesture of the "lost soul."

Disregarding his next assignment involving a hardworking woman named Elena (Keke Palmer), Gabriel breaks from his specialization and attempts to help Arj find his way.

What could possibly go wrong?

A whole heckuva lot.

Gabriel & Arj’s Excellent Adventure

For an R-rated comedy, Good Fortune is actually a gem of sweetness. It’s one more in a string of "R" movies – including Roofman, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and The Smashing Machine – that could appeal to larger audiences with merely cosmetic changes as simple as one or two fewer "F" bombs.

Keanu brings back some of the comic playfulness of his Bill & Ted days, which is a nice pivot from all the John Wick action he’s undertaken of late. Adding to the fun, women fawn over Gabriel, now working as a civilian following his own fall from heavenly grace. He’s tall, good-looking, and sporting that Wick beard, although not as immaculately groomed.

But, as his pet project in saving Arj’s lost soul falls apart, Gabriel makes a sobering observation, "I used to be a celestial being and now I’m a chain smoker."

As for Arj, he’s a documentary filmmaker living in Hollywood (well, sleeping in his car in a liquor store parking lot) while trying to make his ultra-downsized ends meet via work in the gig economy. He’ll do anything for you, even wait in line for the latest in trendy baked buns. He also roams the aisles of Hardware Heaven and is constantly on the lookout for his next gig and – hope against all hope – a really big break.

Ultimately, Arj comes to the conclusion his life sucks and it’s not worth living.

Enter Gabriel and the beginning of a most legitimate journey.

One Gig After Another

It’s striking how good-natured and earnest Good Fortune is. It’s the brainchild of Ansari, who not only stars as Arj, he also wrote and directed the movie.

What’s unfortunate is some real-world timing and the lingering efforts of cancel culture. Ansari – a co-star on the long-running Parks and Recreation series – has caught heat for a comedy performance in Saudi Arabia (along with many other comedians) and allegations of a sexual misconduct incident have resurfaced. Good Fortune marks Ansari’s official feature directorial debut after another effort, Being Mortal, also co-starring Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer, apparently fell apart amid misconduct allegations leveled at Bill Murray.

It's all in stark contrast to what’s on the screen in Good Fortune.

It’s a surprisingly (even shockingly) sweet movie with a huge amount of heart for its characters. Ansari is so likable as Arj and he proves himself as quite the skilled writer and director. That’s great to see, regardless of some of the real-world noise.

In some respects, Good Fortune is a better, smarter (and a whole lot more amiable) look at current events than One Battle After Another. Some were quick to label OBAA as a "zeitgeist" movie, but its commercial appeal has proved extremely limited and potentially leading to a $100 million loss for Warner Bros. While Good Fortune is certainly not going to break box office records, considering it as a "zeitgeist" movie – at least in terms of the world it’s captured – is every bit as appropriate here, though, as Good Fortune rails against the state of the workaday world.

Wings of Desire

Good Fortune opens with a great shot of Gabriel standing on the dome of the Griffith Observatory, looking over all the activity going on in the City of Angels.

While Gabriel seeks to help Arj, there’s also a romantic relationship to be had between Arj and Elena as well as a working relationship between Arj and a guy named Jeff (Seth Rogen). Jeff’s an unlikely entrepreneur, the kind who’s enjoyed overwhelming success – and outrageous fortune – by making smart investments. A simple trial gig for one week as Jeff’s assistant leads to the main twist of the movie.

Arj and Jeff trade places, with Arj living large as Jeff struggles to get his life back. It’s all thanks in part to Gabriel not being very good at rescuing lost souls.

But it all serves to build some solid relationships, characters and situations loaded with good humor tinged with the sting of reality.

Even Jeff falls victim to one of the apps of which he’s a primary investor. It’s Foodzr, a food delivery app that kicked Arj to the curb after his failed bun run. Now Jeff finds himself at the wrong end of rejection after the app scales back human runners in favor of robot deliveries.

Bills. Expenses. The frustrations of trying to make ends meet. More and more double-shifting in retail. Poor benefits. Low pay.

At one point, Gabriel – a la A Christmas Carol – gives Arj a tour of his potential future. It’s strikingly depressing. "That’s what I have to live for?!" Arj pleads out. The highlights – aside from being married to Elena – are a pee bottle for use in his delivery truck and a dead dog.

Dancing & Tacos

Ansari hits the right notes about the challenges of modern daily life and he does it without the aggressive anger found in One Battle After Another. Granted, their two completely different movies, but their thematic overlap is still striking.

As the mayhem between Arj, Elena, Jeff and Gabriel unfolds, all four leads – Ansari, Palmer, Rogen and Reeves – prove to be so likable. Even Rogen, who’s managing to put his library of raunchy, druggie comedies behind him in favor of more toned down and agreeable roles.

Ultimately, Gabriel finds his own redemption even as he discovers he likes being human. Laughing is one of the best parts of being alive, he observes. Along with dancing and tacos.

This is one of those comedies that finds the right message and manages to deliver it without a single shred of pretense or preachiness. It’s simple: "A lot of people are having a bad time, but you’re going to be okay."

Even more important, though, is a really strong, vital realization Arj makes after tasting the good life of Jeff’s wealth. He wants to see what he can do with his own life as the person he is, without being somebody else or wanting to be somebody else.

For a win like that, Gabriel’s wings deserve to grow big.

• Originally published at MovieHabit.com.

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