Aziz Ansari’s been gone for a while. After launching to fame with energetic, sharp-witted stand-up specials, roles in a few Judd Apatow films, and eventually as Tom Haverford on Parks & Recreation, Ansari hit a new level of cool with the co-written, co-directed Netflix series Master of None — in which he also starred.
The series showcased not only his great taste and skill as a storyteller. The music, cinematography, casting, and overall breadth of stories seemed more and more perfect with each episode and season. After many years off the scene, he’s back with the ironically titled Good Fortune: a clunker. Sorry, but it is what it is. Not even the affable energy of Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves can kickstart this by-the-books empathy parable gone wrong.
Ansari plays Arj, a man struggling to get by. He works gig jobs, including multiple for an app that basically outsources errands to people willing to do them. Someone needs their dry cleaning picked up? Arj does that. Someone needs their garage cleaned? Arj is there.
One day, Arj ends up making a delivery to a beautiful home in the Hollywood Hills. Jeff (Rogen), the owner of the home, is an angel investor to multiple successful businesses. Seeing an opportunity, Arj suggests he become Jeff’s full time assistant. Jeff likes Arj’s vibe, and agrees to a trial of a week. After a few positive days, Jeff trusts Arj, and gives him a company credit card.
They get to know each other, and Arj mentions he has a date that night with someone he’s been getting to know and likes a lot: Elena, played by Keke Palmer. He wants to impress her. Jeff suggests he goes to a specific, nice place. He promises it’s not that expensive. When Arj arrives, he learns that the dishes cost between $60 and $200. Luckily for him, Elena is down to earth, gets it, and is happy to pick something on the lower end. She even offers to split the exorbitant bill when it comes. Arj doesn’t want to look less than, so he uses the company credit card. Uh oh.
Jeff finds out and fires Arj. At his lowest point, an angel, Gabriel (enter Keanu Reeves), appears. Can he turn Arj’s life around? Can he make everything perfect? Well, no. In heaven, angels are assigned to specific roles, and Gabriel’s part is mostly to do with “texting and driving” cases. So this isn’t really Gabriel’s area. Using his limited powers, Gabriel suggests Arj enjoy Jeff’s life for a few days to see that being rich doesn’t solve his problems.
Well, it does.
Those are the makings of a solid, if simple, twist on an age-old classic premise. One imagines zany scenes of out of control spending with montages of wild spending sprees. Nope. Ansari and company just pile on more stressors to do with the ins and outs of Angel responsibilities, how long Arj can live as Jeff, what exactly he can and can’t keep if he returns to his old life, and other ultimately uninteresting facts of plot rules.
Then there is the actual pacing of the scenes, and what’s included in them. There are small scenes designed to give Ansari (or Rogen, or Reeves — occasionally Palmer) a one-liner. This works in television. It does not work in film. These little scenes throw off the film’s momentum time and again. If they’re going to do that, the jokes better land. Most of these don’t. There are side scroll-transitions that seem about two decades old (as do many of the jokes, stylistically). Ansari declares things with his trademark enthusiasm, but he just doesn’t have the effect he used to. It isn’t that there are no laughs. There are, but most of them feel like what we’ve seen before, but worse, in a lesser context.
Most of the issues that affect the performances by Ansari, Rogen, and Palmer come down to writing. Their acting is not the problem. They’re at least hitting their general zones.
However, Reeves is not good in this movie. On paper, Reeves should be a lock as a well-meaning, smiley, fish out of water angel who helps when it’s not in his own interest. Unfortunately, in live action, Reeves just doesn’t have the skills to back up some of the more emotional scenes that need his weight as the voice of reason. Everything from his reaction shots to line delivery needs more time to cook.
It is not satisfying when a film for adults, starring four generally beloved actors, goes only children’s-book-deep. It’s even more depressing when these stars pull out the same tricks over and over again. For example, a mix-up where a character tries chocolates they don’t realise are laced with mushrooms. Really? At this point do audiences need a term? Psilocybe ex machina?)
Good Fortune takes the long, mostly unfunny way round to show audiences what they already know: empathy is worth it, and money both does and doesn’t make life a whole lot easier.
