Good Fortune and all the images you see in this review are owned by Lionsgate
Directed by Aziz Ansari
Catch-up month continues as I dutifully ignore new releases until I feel I’ve seen enough of 2025 to make my year-end lists, and while this comedy may have some big name stars involved, you’d be forgiven if it slipped past you as it did me. I knew it was coming out and had every intention to make a pilgrimage to my local multiplex, but I just never got around to it and had to wait for the inevitable VOD release. A sad fate that many movies have had to endure, but should I be truly repentant for missing its theatrical run, or was it always destined to be a better watch in the comfort of our homes? Let’s find out!!
In the heart of Los Angeles, whose name turns out to be much more literal than previously thought, a down on his luck guy named Arj (Aziz Ansari) catches the eye of Gabriel (Keanu Reeves); a lower Angel who typically only helps people who are texting and driving but sees something in Arj that needs fixing. He’s living out of his car, he’s running around the city doing crappy jobs, and while he likes the woman at the hardware store who’s trying to start a union (Keke Palmer), he can barely afford food for himself; much less a date where both parties would be expected to eat. After a particularly rough day where he is unceremoniously fired by tech bro Jeff (Seth Rogan) from the only good job he had, Gabriel tries to intervene and show Arj what makes his life worth living. It doesn’t quite go according to plan, however, as it turns out that Arj’s life isn’t going to get much better than it is now, and things only get worse when Gabriel has the bright idea to do what is known as a Switch-A-Rooney where he makes Arj and Jeff switch places. Not a bad trade for Arj all things considered, but Jeff isn’t too happy about it and Gabriel’s boss (Sandra Oh) is less than thrilled at his loose-cannon behavior. Will this new life for Arj prove to be more of a curse than a gift, which is what Gabriel was trying to prove in the first place? Can Jeff survive the horrors of hustle culture and perhaps learn a little something about himself in the process? Seriously, what was Gabriel’s plan when he gave Arj everything he could ever want? Unless Jeff was about to be indicted or assassinated, it’s hard to see much of a downside.
I’m glad I take the time to try and watch the films I missed when it comes to these year-end wrap ups. There are still far too many movies I will still probably never get around to watching, but I’m glad that I made time for this little parable, as it was a truly inspired delight and certainly one of the better movies to come from the previous year. I have an enormous soft spot for sincere character driven comedies and I wish I had supported this while it was still in theaters, as we simply don’t get enough movies that try this hard to be funny and genuine at the same time.
So much of what I like is what it refuses to do; how it pulls back from being excessive with its jokes or grandiose with its premise. It’s a fairly grounded movie despite the spiritual elements within it, and yet the restraint gives those ideas extra weight. I like that the angel wings look fake and that there’s no magical effects cluttering the screen as that kind of visual flair would have made it too literal, and angels should remain surreal and inexplicable for their holy nature to have significance. Seth Rogan is an inspired choice for the tech bro billionaire as he’s detached from humanity in the ways that he should be, but there’s still enough humanity left that you can feel disappointed in his actions and cathartic when he’s forced to reevaluate the world he lives in. Nothing’s too flashy because that’s not what’s important to the story. The morals aren’t as clear-cut as they could be; not just for Seth Rogan’s out of touch rich guy who is still recognizably human, but for the overall message that the movie is trying to impart. It doesn’t feel judgmental as Arj goes through the ups and downs of his story, as the answer isn’t obvious from the outset as to what is best for him. Even when he does come to what the film sees as the correct conclusion, it’s done with a certain amount of bitterness that feels authentically earned. I appreciate how that it acknowledges how money does in fact make people happier; how being out from under debt, having a stable living situation, and having disposable income is not a recipe for a hollow existence, and despite Arj taking full advantage of this situation, he never turns into a monster or loses sight of what he ultimately cares about. It’s not an easy decision that he’s forced to make, and you could definitely argue for the alternative which, to me, feels more fulfilling as a moral quandary instead of the cheap pandering and bog-standard character arcs that a movie like this could have easily gotten away with.
The extra effort is most evident in Arj’s storyline, but the rest of the film doesn’t lack for meaning and laughs. While he’s living it up in his new rich-guy life, Seth Rogan and Keanu Reeves are a hilarious duo as both play out of touch weirdos, which gives us plenty of fish out of water humor but also gives them a chance to tour humanity from a perspective that neither are familiar with. Rogan is well versed in this kind of material so it’s not a surprise to see him fit comfortably into the role, but Keanu Reeves is almost too natural playing a person who doesn’t quite grasp humanity. It takes a minute to really grasp what it is he’s going for as he comes off as the sleepy offspring of John Wick and Ted Theodore Logan, but once it’s clear that he’s out of his depth, the earnestness makes a lot of sense and is genuinely endearing to see. It does reek a bit of poverty tourism as Rogan and Reeves act befuddled by the customs and struggles of the common folk, but the film gets a lot of points from me for how accurately it depicts how utterly dehumanizing it is to drive for food delivery services; something I am far too familiar with, and it felt cathartic to see my experience reflected on the screen. Their subplot also suffers from a bit of aimlessness as the plot gets a little convoluted with a heist scheme that feels particularly forced, and I think they could have done more with Rogan’s fall from grace, but it was still very fun to see these two bounce off of each other, and it gave us the more overt comedy to balance out Arj’s more thoughtful journey.
If there’s any place where the movie falls short of grace, it would be with Keke Palmer’s character as Arj’s romantic interest. It’s a good performance, to be sure, and she has a lot of chemistry with Ansari, but the writing doesn’t come together as she feels superfluous while also acting as the moral center of the story. For a movie that so grounded with its main cast, she sticks out like a sore thumb when trying to play a minimum-wage worker, especially when standing next to more realistically cast workers at her workplace, and it’s not just that we’re expected to believe that one of the most beautiful women in the world is working at a hardware store. We don’t get a sense of her home life, her day-to-day struggles, or anything to explain why she’s in this current spot and what drives her to be a champion of the downtrodden; seemingly popping into existing only when she needs to push people towards a cause and to direct the themes for the convenience of the audience. In a movie that does so well in establishing the gray areas for the rest of the cast, she feels a little too one-note; and that’s with a literal angel standing off to the side.
I can quibble about a few bumps in the road, but this is still one of the best journeys I’ve had all year. It’s a shame that something like this feels so rare nowadays, but I suppose that means we should appreciate it whenever something like this does come out, and I’d recommend you go out and see it as soon as possible. It may not be a masterpiece, and it may not change your life the way Gabriel changed Arj’s, but it’s still a hilarious ant touching movie that is well worth your time; especially if you’ve been feeling a little lost in all the noise of the modern world. No, it’s not exactly a cure for what ails us, but it’s always good to hear someone remind you that you’re not losing it for feeling this way; especially when it comes from Keanu Reeves who I’m sure is an actual Guardian Angel given his infinite youth and adorable cheekbones.
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