By Nick Nitkowski 

This was a movie I wasn’t expecting at all. For a while, it seemed like Aziz Ansari was nowhere to be found for a long time. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, we get a brand-new movie that not only stars him but is also written and directed by him as well. On top of all of that, it also stars Seth Rogen, Kiki Palmer, and Keanu Reeves! All telling a story about income inequality and what it would be like for a rich man to switch lives with a man who struggles to stay afloat in the current economy. Once I saw the trailer for this movie, I was in. Even with the obvious costume wings on the actors playing angels, the humor was there, and it hooked me. So, the real question is, did a movie called “Good Fortune” actually bring good fortune?

This movie is about a guy named Arj, played by Aziz Ansari, who’s struggling in life working odd jobs just to get by while living in his car. When an Angel responsible for keeping people from texting and driving named Gabriel, played by Keanu Reeves, sees him as a lost soul, he takes it upon himself to try to help him by showing him that being rich won’t solve his current problems. He tries to prove this point by having Arj live the luxurious lifestyle by switching lives with a tech bro billionaire named Jeff, played by Seth Rogen. But as everyone soon discovers, being rich really did solve all of his problems. To fix this, Gabriel attempts to convince Arj to take his old life back.

This movie was absolutely hilarious. I was laughing hysterically throughout this movie way more than I thought I was going to. The jokes in this movie were very well written and equally well executed. Even Keanu Reeves who’s obviously best known for his serious action Neo John Wick persona, had a lot of funny moments in this movie. It was mostly through odd line delivery, but it definitely worked to his advantage. And of course, we all know that Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen both have great comedic timing, and it’s still well demonstrated in this movie.

The only real problem that I had with this movie is that while it definitely addresses the situation of low wages and people struggling on a regular basis due to the income inequality inflicted by the rich while they continue to live lavish lifestyles, they never really talk about any of the obvious solutions that could rectify this. Even from the main character’s standpoint, he just covets and relishes in his newfound wealth instead of using it for selfless reasons. It’s not until the end when the movie suggests, “Maybe we should pay our employees more?” It just kind of felt disingenuous. Almost like a successful, rich comedian wrote it.

Overall, I still had a great time watching “Good Fortune”. It provided what it was supposed to provide, which is laughs, and it delivered that in droves. I was hopeful that I was going to enjoy this movie, but I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Everyone in the film was great, and even though the message was a little muddied, it still did the job that it was tasked with in terms of comedy. So, if you’ve seen all of the Halloween style films for Spooky Season and just need a good laugh, then you will definitely find some Good Fortune with this one. 

4 stars