Aziz Ansari's feature directorial debut delivers charm, laughs, and a standout Keanu Reeves
If you could trade places with a wealthy person, would you? Who are you kidding?!? Of course you would! In fact, Hollywood has bet time and again that you would when they made comedies like The Million Pound Note, Trading Places, and Brewster's Millions. Last fall, Lionsgate once again felt it was time for theatergoers to get a slightly different slant on the rags-to-riches story idea when they released the feature film directorial debut of Aziz Ansari's Good Fortune. Starring Ansari (Parks and Recreation), Seth Rogen (Superbad), Keke Palmer (One of Them Days), Keanu Reeves (the John Wick franchise), and Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), the film did okay with critics but failed to make a profit at the box office. Lionsgate hopes to add to the film's gross profits with the home entertainment release now on sale.
Arj (Ansari) is struggling to make ends meet and is down on his luck. Jeff (Rogen) is a multi-millionaire just having fun and living his best life. Gabriel (Reeves) is a minor angel looking to move up. When Gabriel is assigned to help Arj stop texting and driving and follows him, Gabriel sees an opportunity to have Arj and Jeff switch lives. However, when it is time to switch back, Arj doesn't want to, so he fakes amnesia and Jeff and Gabriel (who has to become human for screwing up) start living like Arj did when he was poor. Oh, and Arj gets the lavish lifestyle but loses the girl, Elena (Palmer).
With a decent script (also by Ansari) and some interesting angles from a first-time director, the movie is enjoyable to say the least. However, the real gem of Good Fortune is the cast. Ansari and Rogen have great chemistry and comedic timing (as they should), and Palmer seems to excel in every role. The oddball in this mix is Reeves, as there are no action sequences in the movie at all. Having said that, he is probably one of the best things about the movie. He can make the audience laugh with nothing more than the expression on his face, and proves it in more than one scene in this film. He is terrific as Gabriel, and just watching him stand in a break room and proclaim that "chicken nuggies are good" reminds us what a good actor he is and is more than just muscle, stunts, fight scenes, and guns (or pencils as the case may be).
The 1080p video resolution is more than adequate, but nothing spectacular. Nighttime scenes are a little dark, but daylight ones are clean and showcase a variety of hues color-wise. The details, especially on the angels' wings, are strong. Overall, the Blu-ray offers a decent video presentation, though I'm sure the 4K release has better quality.
The Dolby Atmos Audio, by contrast, is excellent with layered tracks filled with dialogue, ambient sounds, and the occasional score. The dialogue is clear and crisp, and the ambient noise fills the surround speakers nicely.
The combo pack includes the Blu-ray Disc, digital download, and a small offering of extras. The extras include Audio Commentary with Producer, Writer, Director Aziz Ansari, and Producer Alan Yang, Life Swap - Making Good Fortune, The Clothes Make the Man. . .And the Angel, and the Theatrical Trailer.
Good Fortune isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination and won't be winning any awards, but it is a cute film with a strong cast and a few laughs. Reeves is definitely the best part of the movie, and it is a treat to see him do something other than action or sci-fi for a change.
Grade: B
