Finding enjoyable movies can be a challenge these days, so we appreciate any bit of happiness we can find. Good Fortune, marks a directorial debut—Ansari also wrote and stars in the film—and while it might seem like a collection of small moments, many of them create sparks of joy. Similar to , a surprise hit from earlier in the year, Good Fortune bravely addresses a significant contemporary issue: many individuals are overworked and underpaid, while the wealthy elite simply accumulate wealth without concern for others. The movie’s lighthearted and humorous approach is a major asset, ensuring that it never feels preachy. Good Fortune is friendly, yet it also possesses a sharp edge.
Ansari plays Arj, a struggling documentary editor in Los Angeles who is forced to live in his car, barely making ends meet through various odd jobs. One moment he’s assembling furniture, and the next he’s waiting in line at an upscale bakery to pick up an order for a wealthy customer—or at least someone who is better off than him. He also works part-time at a large hardware store where he encounters Elena (played by Keke Palmer, who also stars in One of Them Days), a skilled furniture maker and intelligent woman who is leading an effort to unionize the store’s employees.
Arj is just one of the many ordinary people struggling to survive. Unbeknownst to him, a group of guardian angels is observing humanity, including Gabriel, who watches over the struggling human population from above, similar to the celestial beings in . Gabriel, wearing a balmacaan raincoat and small wings (as a junior angel, he hasn’t yet earned full-sized wings), is tasked with preventing accidents caused by texting while driving. He can be seen in the back seat of vehicles, gently touching the shoulders of drivers who are texting. Good Fortune perfectly captures Reeves’ unique ability to create feel-good moments.
Despite the importance of his job, especially in Los Angeles, Gabriel desires to do more to improve the lives of unhappy people. He asks his supervisor, Martha (played by , wearing a shimmering tunic), for a more impactful assignment. When she declines, he decides to take matters into his own hands and drastically change Arj’s life, making him his project. Arj unexpectedly lands a great job as an assistant to a rich tech entrepreneur, Jeff (), but quickly loses it after misusing Jeff’s company credit card. Gabriel uses his powers to arrange for Arj to switch places with Jeff for two weeks, hoping that Arj will realize that money cannot buy happiness and will choose to return to his old life.
Predictably, this does not occur. The movie understands, as we do, that anyone who claims “Money can’t solve life’s problems” is almost certainly mistaken. Martha revokes Gabriel’s angel status, and he finds himself working as a dishwasher at an all-you-can-eat Korean buffet, struggling to earn a living like everyone else.
In Good Fortune, Ansari skillfully balances real-world issues with lightheartedness, avoiding heavy-handed lecturing, much like One of Them Days. Rogen’s character, Jeff, now living Arj’s former life, is deeply unhappy about having to work for a living, including waiting in line to pick up food orders for the kind of people he used to be; he is finally experiencing how the other half lives. While Ansari generally maintains a light tone, he is quick to highlight the problems of the gig economy: no one should be forced to urinate in a bottle because their delivery job doesn’t allow for bathroom breaks. At the same time, he acknowledges life’s small joys. Jeff and Gabriel team up to make their lives better, and at one point, Jeff introduces his former-angel friend to the pleasures of hamburgers and milkshakes. Gabriel’s expression as he tastes his first chicken nugget is as if heaven itself is opening up and showering blessings upon us. And who couldn’t use a little of that in their life?
Good Fortune is a delightful debut, but it is marred by Ansari’s recent involvement in the state-sponsored . Ansari has strongly defended his decision to accept payment from Saudi Arabia, despite its history of serious human rights abuses. He has also offered to donate a portion of his earnings, as he stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live, “to causes that support free press and human rights,” including Human Rights Watch (although representatives of that organization have stated that they would refuse any donations from comedians who performed at the festival). It is difficult to ignore this issue: watching Ansari be charming in Good Fortune is currently somewhat off-putting. However, the movie has such a pleasant spirit that it makes you want to believe that a good person can simply make a mistake. Perhaps what truly matters is what Ansari does moving forward. At the very least, he recognizes that it is unacceptable for any worker to have to urinate into a bottle.