Aziz Ansari’s film-directing debut, ‘Good Fortune,’ is a barrel of hollow laughs
“Good Fortune” — 2 stars
Arj is a documentary film editor who just can’t catch a break. Struggling to keep up with Los Angeles rent while between gigs, he lives out of his car and works temporary jobs on Taskrabbit-like apps. When a client’s child asks if he ever aspired to do more than someone else’s laundry, Arj snaps. He tells the kid that HIS dreams of becoming an archaeologist are futile because life is unfair and “the American Dream is dead.” The client leaves Arj a bad review.
Written by and starring comedian Aziz Ansari, “Good Fortune” is also his debut as a film director. The fantasy comedy cleverly diagnoses some of society’s greatest faults, juxtaposing the ludicrous priorities of the 1% with the also-ridiculous hoops everyone else must jump through to make ends meet. All the world is a farce, Ansari seems to say, while suggesting that it can still be saved. But like a breezy sitcom episode, his big-screen creation doesn’t feel the need to offer solutions.
“Good Fortune” begins with Keanu Reeves standing atop the Griffith Observatory, gazing out over the Angelenos he will rescue from themselves. In a clear homage to Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire,” Reeves sports a pair of white feathered wings, playing an actual angel named Gabriel who nudges texting-and-driving humans into paying attention to the road. Gabriel is shocked to encounter Arj texting with a friend, declaring that he has nothing to live for. The angel decides to overstep the responsibilities bestowed upon him by his divine boss (an underutilized Sandra Oh) and takes it upon himself to help Arj appreciate his life.
Seth Rogen factors in as a venture capitalist named Jeff, who hires Arj as a personal assistant — then fires him a week in when Arj uses his company card to court a new love interest, Elena (Keke Palmer). Gabriel makes Jeff and Arj swap circumstances a la “Trading Places,” with Arj waking up in a glass-walled mansion and Jeff relocating to a car. The angel, a bit dense, is somehow surprised when Arj doesn’t want to switch back.
Ansari, who dipped into more serious waters on his Netflix series “Master of None” after a hilarious run as small-town entrepreneur Tom Haverford in the sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” said at a public appearance last year that the massive box-office success of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” renewed his faith in the viability of theatrical comedies. “Good Fortune” appeals to the masses with its A-list cast and light situational humor, but throws a few sharp darts: A quip about Jeff learning empathy from a Jay Shetty book, for instance, got a chuckle out of this critic, who has spent far too much time trying to understand celebrities’ obsession with the smooth-talking self-help guru.
The film takes advantage of its assembled array of comedic minds. Reeves is endearing as a foolish angel, his deadpan delivery underscoring Gabriel’s utter cluelessness. The scenes he shares with Rogen are charming enough for executives to green-light a buddy comedy starring the unlikely duo. Palmer, forced to play the straight woman as a hardware store employee trying to unionize her workplace, manages to infuse her trademark playfulness into Elena’s flirtations with Arj.
These actors’ natural talents might compensate for Ansari’s shortcomings as a director. While each of them turns in a capable performance, he struggles to combine their individual storylines into a cohesive film. Their screen time is miscalibrated, favoring Arj’s light banter with Gabriel and Jeff over more consequential conversations with Elena about shared struggles. And although there are a few interesting visual choices at play, such as when cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra casts green light on an envious Arj during a party at Jeff’s house, Ansari put out more cinematic work on a streaming service when he directed the carefully framed third season of “Master of None.”
“Good Fortune” marks Ansari’s on-screen return to narrative work after a series of setbacks. In 2022, with the gray area of his babe.net dating scandal behind him, he began shooting a film adaptation of Atul Gawande’s “Being Mortal” that halted production when star Bill Murray was accused of inappropriate behavior. Ansari then pivoted to “Good Fortune,” bringing along “Being Mortal” co-stars Palmer and Rogen. Just last week, Ansari made headlines when newly reinstated talk show host Jimmy Kimmel asked why he chose to perform at the Saudi government’s Riyadh Comedy Festival with the likes of Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr, which advocacy organizations and other stand-ups have criticized as condoning the regime’s record of abusing human rights.
“There’s people over there that don’t agree with the stuff the government’s doing,” Ansari said. “To ascribe the worst behavior of the government onto those people, that’s not fair. Just like there’s people in America that don’t agree with the things the government is doing.”
Of course, the Saudi government cut Ansari a check, not the people — a fact that clashes with the “money isn’t everything” messaging behind “Good Fortune.” Even if one were to separate the artist from his art, the naiveté coloring Ansari’s response to Kimmel — donating part of his fee doesn’t mitigate his decision to perform — manifests in the film as well. One venture capitalist realizing he underpays his workers does not have much of a ripple effect, though the scene operates as though it does. And after all that, viewers still don’t know whether Arj will be able to make his rent.
In fact, nearly all the problems identified at the start of “Good Fortune” remain by its end. While well-intentioned, this is a movie about class consciousness that lacks in self-awareness. Its plentiful laughs ring hollow.
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At theaters. Rated R for language and some drug use. 98 minutes.