Premiering last Friday, October 17, “Good Fortune” is the newest comedy movie with a star-studded cast. The film was written, produced, and directed by Aziz Ansari, who also starred as one of the three leading men: Arj.
The movie features Keanu Reeves as an angel named Gabriel who seeks to have a bigger impact on the world by helping “lost souls.” He takes this on by attempting to help Arj, whose life is not going so well after he gets fired by wealthy tech-bro Jeff, played by Seth Rogen. Gabriel swaps the two men’s lives with the aim of showing Arj that wealthy living isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the solution is not that simple, and Gabriel’s actions lead to a complicated situation as he loses his wings in punishment by supervisor Martha (played by Sandra Oh) and becomes human.
The three men – Arj, Jeff, and Gabriel – all go on their own journeys of discovering what it’s like to be human, made possible by the fact that none of them are living their “normal” lives. Arj is faced with how his wealth impacts his budding relationship with hardware store employee Elena (played by Keke Palmer), Jeff realizes the struggles that come with having to work in the gig economy in L.A. to make money, and Gabriel learns the truth about finding value in one’s life.
While the film takes some time picking up and feels a little slow in the beginning, it’s worth sticking out for the good comedic relief and surprisingly heartfelt message. By the time the movie concludes, audiences grow to care about the main characters and their individual lives that wouldn’t normally intersect. The satisfying resolution leads viewers to walk away from the film with a new appreciation of all the little things in life.
Junior Emily Myers is a Staff Writer for the College Reporter. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.