Aziz Ansari’s riff on a classic formula is grounded by an all-time comedic performance from Keanu Reeves
We all know 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life. It has become the quintessential, accessible magical reality film in American cinema. Despite mostly positive reviews at the time and the reputation the film has garnered over time as a Christmas classic, it was initially a money loser for RKO Pictures. The film itself was a mixture of different ideologies: the positive force of communities working together, a sense of hopefulness in the face of challenges, and an optimism facing a post-war America. Over time it has become Frank Capra’s trademark release, the film most associated with his complex view of humanity.
It also earned the ire of the government at the time; someone within the FBI argued that the film’s negative view of bankers suggested a Communist outlook. This is obviously an overstatement of the general view of the film, but it is hard to argue that it doesn’t have a collectivist bent to it. The idealistic conclusion is the people of the community gathering together to lift up one of their own, and to show the long beleaguered they aren’t actually uncelebrated. It is probably the most well known and beloved film that’s central inciting incident is suicide.
In many ways, Good Fortune, the new film from writer/director/star Aziz Ansari, is a modern rebuttal to It’s a Wonderful Life. But rather than focusing on how one person doesn’t appreciate the good they do in the world, Ansari turns his typically insightful view into a broader question: what is the actual cost of wealth? Namely, he takes the bare bones structure of a Capra mortality play and reimagines it as an ironic and socially aware commentary on how class dictates comfort.
Ansari plays Arj, an aspiring documentary film editor who has struggled to find gainful employment. Thus he has taken up gig economy work, from assembling furniture to waiting in line for the most hyped up cinnamon buns in LA. He even works part-time at Hardware Heaven, a Home Depot stand-in, where he meets Elena (Keke Palmer), a union-organizing co-worker who he begins a romantic relationship with. Eventually Arj finds a more steady job working as the personal assistant for venture capitalist Jeff (Seth Rogen). But after that job falls apart Arj finds himself in a very dark place.
Luckily, he has a guardian angel. Well, sort of. His angel is actually Gabriel (Keanu Reeves in the film’s best performance), whose job is to watch out for people texting and driving. But with higher aspirations to save lost souls, Gabriel decides Arj’s desperation is an opportunity for him to do more important work. The problem is he’s not good at saving lost souls, and his simplistic understanding of what makes people’s lives worth living comes into conflict with the actual specifics.
When Gabriel swaps Arj’s life for that of Jeff’s, he is quickly stymied when Arj determines that being rich and comfortable is in fact better than struggling to get by. He takes over Jeff’s life, while Jeff is stuck being his assistant. The dynamics get even more complicated once Jeff has his old memories returned. Arj is faced with the moral question of does he give up a life of luxury, knowing it was someone else’s life before.
Ansari’s work has long poked at these thorny moral questions. His Netflix series Master of None consistently portrayed the tension between pursuing passion and having to make a living, and even in the face of a controversy around his own behavior, he navigated the complexity of the #MeToo movement with a seriousness few people accused of bad behavior showed. (He also has recently found himself at the center of controversy again over appearing at Riyadh Comedy Festival.)
That is perhaps why it is frustrating that Good Fortune works best when it is a straight magical realism comedy, and less when it ventures into social commentary. Which isn’t to say that the film’s heart isn’t in the right place; the overall conceit of “work sucks for the working class” is a wealthy vein for both comedy and commentary, and the film’s ardent pro-worker and pro-union positions are well appreciated. But you can feel when the film is shifting into its message moments, when a big speech is delivering “the point.”
By contrast, when the film focuses on character-based cosmic mix-up, it is effortlessly winning. Whenever Gabriel best intentions keep spiraling out of control, Reeves realizes his understated frustration and panic with incredible subtlety. He is an angel, but that doesn’t save him from being an idiot. And Arj and Jeff both exploring and being upended by how they discover how people they barely considered live makes for incredibly cathartic and powerful moments. Jeff’s arc in particular wraps up a bit too tidily, but this is all a bit of fantasy afterall.
While doing triple duty, Ansari shines as both star and writer (though the patter of his stand-up routine does infect the voice of most major characters), and becomes a bit anonymous as a director. The film feels not dissimilar from his TV work, especially Master of None, and it never feels especially and specifically theatrical in a way that stands out. He isn’t reinventing the formula that has worked for him before, but rather adding a more mythical element atop it. In some ways it is his most approachable work yet, as the premise gives a supernatural hook. But for fans of his work up to this point, it will feel like very familiar, if comfortable, material. The shining stay is Reeves, who adds a dopey, lovable element that will be the lasting legacy of this sweet fable.
