The easiest way to describe the high-concept comedy “Good Fortune” is as “It’s A Wonderful Life” meets “Trading Places.”
It’s also applicable to the tone, as a good-natured, but not very bright, angel using divine intervention to show a downtrodden soul how their life would be changed under different circumstances would make Frank Capra smile. While a homeless gig worker switching lives with a millionaire tech bro makes for an edgy and profane piece of social commentary.
While this mashup is amusing enough on the surface, it becomes hilarious and heartfelt thanks to its tremendous cast and the comedic vision of writer/director/star Aziz Ansari.
Our angelic host in question is Gabriel, played in a perfect piece of casting by Keanu Reeves. Gabriel has the rather simple task of saving people from texting and driving, but he longs to move up in the world to saving lost souls.
He makes his case known to his boss, Martha (Sandra Oh), who advises Gabriel to stay in his lane.
Then one day, Gabriel crosses paths with Arj (Ansari), a struggling gig worker who hops from job to job, and whose hope for a better life is being crushed by the harsh economic realities of the modern American workforce.
Even in spite of a blossoming romance with Elena (Keke Palmer), a fellow coworker struggling to make ends meet, things only get tougher for Arj as he finds himself living out of his car.
After he loses his job as an assistant to Jeff (Seth Rogen), a shallow and clueless venture capitalist, Arj finds himself at his lowest point.
This is when Gabriel steps in and allows Arj to switch places with Jeff, in the hopes of showing him that being rich isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be and that Arj’s life is worth living.
This completely backfires as Arj decides that being a millionaire is pretty great, and Gabriel finds himself at a loss, especially when Jeff ramps up the pressure to get his old life back.
Ansari has a lot of very funny and pointed things to say about the class struggle in 21st-century America. But instead of just grandstanding on his soapbox, he keeps the humanity of the characters in the foreground, proving that people are all pretty much the same, even if they’re at opposite ends of the tax bracket.
He also casts this movie perfectly, starting with himself. Ansari brings the same hustling charm to his role that made him famous on “Parks and Recreation.” Rogen is great as the redeemable rich jerk humbled by having to work for a living.
But it’s Reeves whom you’ll remember the most. His comedic delivery is perfect as the sweet and innocent Gabriel. He’s especially great when he has to experience the world as a human for the first time and comments with an earnest wonder at the commonplace joys and pains that come from being alive.
“Good Fortune” is both timeless and very much of-the-moment. A comedy that wears its heart on its sleeve while it pokes and prods at our modern condition is a difficult needle to thread, but Ansari makes it look so easy, it makes you wonder why more comedies can’t be this good.
“Good Fortune” is rated R for language and some drug use.
