Movie Review - Good Fortune
Funny, but not hilarious. Thoughtful, but left some food on the table.
I liked this movie a little more than I thought I would. It's been a while since I got to see a lightweight, enjoyable movie that was thoughtful and well-made.
The casting choices were spot on. I loved Keanu Reeves as a down-on-his-luck angel, and Seth Rogen was a perfect choice for a tech-bro. Every scene from Keke Palmer felt real, like she lived her role. Of course, the main actor, Aziz Ansari, deserves a lot of credit. Literally, he also gets credit for writing and directing the movie.
It's a short movie, only about 94 minutes of runtime, without the credits. But they packed a lot in there. As we got toward the end, I was doubtful that it would have a satisfactory conclusion, but they pulled it off.
Social Commentary with a Smile
The messaging was incredibly well-balanced throughout the movie. It got a point across without feeling preachy at all. Too often, when a writer/director has something to say, they don't trust the audience to get subtlety or contradictions, and so they just hammer home their message. Ansari didn't do that. The script treats the audience as mature and thoughtful people who will get the message without being hit over the head with it.
More
A sign of a good movie is when you leave the audience wanting more. Much of the movie relies too much on one short scene after another. It would have been nice to be a little more present and let some of the scenes breathe a little more.
I would have loved to see a few short montages in the movie of real gig workers struggling through their day and some of their experiences, good and bad. And what would have been the icing on the cake is to come back in the end credits with a scene of Arj filming the scenes for his documentary.
Grade: B
| Rated: | R Language, Some Drug Use |
| Genres: | Action, Comedy, Fantasy |
| USA release date: | Oct 17, 2025 |
| Movie length: | 97 minutes |
| Starring: | Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer |
| Director: | Aziz Ansari |
| Writer(s): | Aziz Ansari |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | United States |
Plot
A well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy venture capitalist.
Comments
No comments yet — be the first.