Good Fortune (2025)

​“Good Fortune” stars Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, and Keanu Reeves.  Released on October 17, 2025, the film follows a guardian angel who loses his wings after a failed attempt leaves him at rock bottom.

The film was written and directed by Aziz Ansari in his feature directorial debut.  Many of us have our own guardian angels that guide us through life’s ups and downs.  Whether we find ourselves at rock bottom or on top of the world, a unique metaphorical being is always around to keep us safe from harm or balance our lives.  However, one particular angel may not be suited for this role, as his seemingly “harmless” gesture ended up changing the lives of two distinct individuals, but not for the better.  This concept unfolds in the latest comedy that features an actor stepping into the director’s chair for a feature film.  This time, we have comedian Aziz Ansari directing a bizarre yet relatable story he developed after the suspension of his original directorial debut, “Being Mortal”.  The reason for the suspension?  Let’s just say that one of its actors did something inappropriate to a crew member during production.  Fortunately, this film appears to have avoided a similar dilemma to secure a theatrical release.  Was it able to gain its cinematic wings through its execution?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Gabriel (Reeves), a “budget guardian angel” whose primary responsibility is to prevent people from texting while driving.  Eager to help people in meaningful ways, Gabriel encounters a down-on-his-luck man named Arj (Ansari), who works odd jobs to make a living, including assisting his affluent employer, Jeff (Rogen).  Seeing it as an opportunity, Gabriel steps in and teaches Arj that wealth won’t necessarily resolve his issues, leading him to switch Arj and Jeff’s lives.  However, Arj’s new affluent lifestyle appears to have solved all his problems, while Jeff finds himself facing Arj’s misfortunes.  This unsuccessful intervention resulted in Gabriel losing his wings and being condemned to live among humans as punishment.  Now living with Jeff as his roommate, Gabriel must make amends for the work he caused, starting with mending the lives of both men. 

When a seemingly amusing concept features a roster of well-known names, my curiosity is usually instantly sparked.  “Good Fortune” is certainly no exception, especially with talents like Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, and Aziz Ansari involved.  It’s actually been quite some time since I last saw Ansari in a project.  His most recent film appearance was in “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” in 2022, albeit in a very minor role.  In terms of major roles, he hasn’t been in the cinematic spotlight for over a decade—twelve years, to be exact—with “Epic” being his last major film in a supporting role.  Thankfully, he has been keeping himself busy with his television roles during this time.  It appears that “Good Fortune” is Ansari’s opportunity to reestablish himself, not only as an actor but also as an up-and-coming filmmaker.  Given the backdrop of Ansari’s original directorial debut’s suspension, it’s nice to see his vision finally being told on the big screen.  Too bad I had to wait a week after its release to experience it for myself.  Now that I’ve seen it, was the wait worth it?  Well, not exactly.

Admittedly, “Good Fortune” is well-intended regarding its relatable messages and engaging cast.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide much enchantment and depth in its iffy storytelling to fulfill the promising fortunes it suggests.  The best way to describe the film is that it’s a modern-age “It’s a Wonderful Life” with life-swapping elements reminiscent of “Trading Places” and “Freaky Friday”.  Thankfully, Ansari and Rogen are not inside each other’s bodies, akin to Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan.  This description suggests it aims to be another fun, eccentric piece of escapism for general audiences to enjoy, right?  Well, that’s where things can get a bit rocky, not just for me personally, but also for many others.  While it offers humorous moments from its main cast and some fantasy elements from the angels, “Good Fortune” is fundamentally a down-to-earth drama that reflects the current state of workplace economics across different social classes.  

The narrative primarily focuses on lower-class workers and their struggles with inadequate wages, homelessness, and a lack of respect from higher authorities.  The most notable cases are Arj, who hits rock bottom due to Los Angeles’s evolving work environment, and his love interest, Elena (Palmer), who advocates for better working conditions through unionization.  Considering the current economic climate and the film’s Los Angeles backdrop, this commentary might hit a bit too close to home for some facing similar challenges.  Fortunately, the film also offers messages that inspire hope, akin to a guardian angel.  It not only reveals the realities of the city’s gig economy but also highlights the joys of life that make it meaningful—not through fame and wealth, but through the goodness of people helping each other.  Amid troubling times, there’s always that glimmer of hope that tells us that everything will be all right, whether it comes from an angel or an ordinary person.  Considering these themes and Ansari’s own experience with his previous directorial debut, “Good Fortune” is actually a fitting title that captures the fluctuations of the work environment.

However, in terms of its execution, the film somehow lacked the holy vibes in its tone and narrative approach to fully embody its thoughtful themes.  This is apparent in Ansari’s screenplay, which delivers elements expected from its inspirations, particularly “Trading Places” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  On the one hand, it offers a bit of originality amid its conventional structure, which is more focused on personal storytelling than on using it as a backdrop for raunchy humor.  Although it contains some profanity and drug use, the film is relatively restrained in its adult humor, which doesn’t detract from its maturity and comedic value.  Ansari’s screenplay offered some pretty effective jokes that poke fun at the social economy and underscore the main cast’s star power, especially Keanu Reeves as a fish-out-of-water Gabriel.  It further demonstrates that adult comedies don’t need excessive dark humor, sexual innuendo, or extreme violence to elicit laughter.  On the other hand, the script also featured underdeveloped elements and heavy-handed dialogue that occasionally felt on-the-nose, overshadowing some of the amusing parts I enjoyed.

In terms of direction, it’s easy to tell that this is Ansari’s first directorial debut, particularly in his approach to tone.  It seems he was aiming for a snappy approach to the film’s narrative structure and authentic fantasy vibes.  Although it incorporates elements typical of an R-rated comedy, Ansari sought to offer a more realistic portrayal of its commentary and drama amid the presence of angels.  While promising at first, his vision felt very off with how he balances the tonal shifts.  It felt like he was focused on getting the message across through its authentic drama that he was also dragging the light-hearted comedy through the ground in the process.  Again, Ansari has some good jokes, but he also went a bit too far with the down-to-earth aesthetics, making the film feel more like a harsh reality than a miracle.  Additionally, the snappiness he provided also led to some pacing inconsistencies, with some moments being a tad rushed and conventional regarding the transitions.  It also had a few slow parts that either stall the momentum or seem unnecessary, such as Arj’s post-coma scenario.  Undoubtedly, Ansari showed some potential in his directorial vision, but he also needs to pull off another miracle to refine these aspects for future projects.

As mentioned earlier, much of the film’s humor stems from the chemistry of its main leads, who bring enough charm to spread their wings in their performances.  Despite top billing for Seth Rogen and Aziz Ansari, the real star of “Good Fortune” is Keanu Reeves as the well-meaning yet incompetent guardian angel.  Reeves possesses a demeanor that’s calm, warm, and even charismatic, embodying the angelic traits that seem to mirror his real-life persona.  This is another engaging performance that further showcases Reeves’s talent for combining humor with heartfelt depth outside his action-oriented roles like John Wick.  Rogen also delivered another commendable performance that sees him juggling both comedy and drama in his portrayal of Jeff.  Even though I still enjoy Rogen as a comedian, I also respect him for tackling some grounded roles while maintaining the signature style he’s known for.  Aziz Ansari also shines in his performance as Arj, providing plenty of chuckles alongside the dramatic warmth of his character’s struggles.  Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh also delivered some decent moments as Elena and Martha, Gabriel’s angelic boss, respectively, though I would like to see more of the latter.

Overall, “Good Fortune” presents a once-promising miracle that struggles to prevent its narrative soul from feeling misguided.  Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut features plenty of enjoyable moments that shed holy light on the struggles of lower-income workers in Los Angeles’s gig economy.  However, the execution reveals a surprising lack of faith in its tone, which fails to balance its mundane aesthetics with a seemingly quirky concept involving an angel’s life-swapping mishap.  While this approach may satisfy those seeking an adult comedy without excessive raunchiness, others might find themselves yearning for their own angels to guide their souls out of the film’s all-too-real scenarios.  Keanu Reeves was literally an angel, carrying the movie with his fish-out-of-water charisma, and some of the jokes hit the mark amid its meaningful messages.  Unfortunately, Ansari’s handling of the uneven tone, middling screenplay, and inconsistent pacing proved to be more of a misfortune than a heavenly debut.  It’s a fine enough watch if you’re a fan of the actors involved, particularly Keanu Reeves, but don’t expect it to be full of light-hearted miracles in its comedy.

C