Good Fortune info:
Director: Aziz Ansari
Writer: Aziz Ansari
Starring: Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogan, Keke Palmer, and Keanu Reeves
Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. This will not only be my last review of October, but it will also be the last one before Halloween. So I want to wish everyone a very spooky and Happy Halloween (if you celebrate). I hope you get lots of candy and scares, but not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, most of the scary movies to watch right now are sequels to films I haven’t seen yet. So instead, I get a delightful movie called “Good Fortune”.
I’ve been spending some time catching up on horror movies I haven’t seen yet, like “The Black Phone,” so I might watch some of these later. In the meantime, it’s time for the spoiler warning for the current movie I’m reviewing. If you haven’t seen “Good Fortune” yet and don’t want to be spoiled, head back to my reviews page here and choose something else. For everyone else, join me as we break down this journey.
Aziz Ansari does the triple crown here, as he writes, directs, and stars (as Arj) in this supernatural comedy that touches on many important subjects, such as wealth, labor, and happiness in your own life. It also has some classic body-switching hi-jinks that only add to the complexity of the whole piece. Ansari, along with Reeves, Rogen, and Palmer, does a great job of keeping the story moving with humor and plenty of humility.
As we start, we see that Arj is struggling. Not only does he do several odd jobs through a gig app, but he also works part-time at the local lumber/hardware superstore. He’s been sleeping in his car and wondering if his life is worth living. Gabriel (Reeves), once saved him from a texting and driving accident. Since then, he has been watching him and wants to assist him even though his rank as an angel isn’t high enough yet.
Jeff (Rogan) is a wealthy tech investor and lives in a very upscale house. Arj worked for him for a few weeks, but was then fired for using the company credit card to take out his date. Reeling from the loss of another good job, Gabriel steps in to “save” him. He tries to tell him that his life wouldn’t necessarily be that great even if he had tons of money, so he shows him what his life would be if he and Jeff traded places for a short while.
That’s a long-winded way of saying that Arj and Jeff switched places. Arj was now living a lavish lifestyle, and Jeff was barely scraping by. The funny part about this whole thing was that Gabriel got in trouble for going outside of his normal job duties and was demoted and lost his wings. He ends up living with Jeff, where they have to share a bed or sleep in his car together. Reeves really was the comedic relief throughout.
The thing that makes “Good Fortune” so good is even though it is sprinkled with humor, it also touches on some very important topics. Like the difference in lifestyles between those who have lots of money and those who don’t. Arj even gets caught up in the middle of it when the girl he likes, Elena (Palmer), tries to unionize their workforce at the lumber yard. He didn’t see the importance of it until he was on the other side.
Eventually, Arj, Jeff, and Gabriel come together to hash out their differences and make a plan on what to do. After a little bit of fun first, Arj finally decides to swap back, and all three go back to their normal lives, except now they have a different focus on how they want to live their respective lives. It’s a heartfelt movie with a good ending.
Overall, Ansari did a fine job with both the script and the writing. The actors worked well together, and the funny parts were timed just right and not overdone. I know in real life, very few people would want to switch back, but this is part of what makes it so enjoyable, you know that he will eventually, you just need to see what makes him finally break. I honestly didn’t find much wrong with how “Good Fortune” was made or how it made me feel, so it would be awkward to give it anything less than an 8 out of 10. From up high, that seems like a really high score for this sort of film, but the numbers don’t lie.
Watch or Wait?
So, should you rush out to go see “Good Fortune” right away or wait to watch it at home? Honestly, you’re not missing anything by not watching it on the big screen, but it’s so enjoyable and can make you feel good. Why wait?
So, that’s it for me this week. But now it’s your turn. Have you seen this movie yet? If so, what are your thoughts? Did you like it as much as I did, or do you see some issues with it that I didn’t see? Do you think Ansari did a great job with his triple role? Let me know in the comments below what you think. I will be back next week with another mindless movie review of some sort.
