Good Fortune Review: Keanu Reeves Is The Funniest Part Of Aziz Ansari's Charming Debut Film [TIFF 2025]
"Good Fortune" is a must-watch for any fans of the last major project Aziz Ansari directed and starred in, his poignant Netflix dramedy "Master of None." His debut movie has a similar easygoing vibe; it's sad but never too sad, funny but still grounded. The premise of "Good Fortune" sure sounds ridiculous on paper — it's about an angel who haphazardly throws a mortal into a "Freaky Friday"-esque situation with disastrous results — but the humor is largely based around real-world frustrations with the gig economy and the rising costs of living. It's a movie about how cruel the world can be to people struggling to get by, and the sheer amount of work and patience required for working-class people to find some semblance of peace.
When it comes to whether you'll enjoy this movie, more relevant than one's thoughts on "Master of None" is what your thoughts are on the 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life." That's the main movie "Good Fortune" takes its inspiration from, except "Good Fortune" offers a more cynical spin on the premise. If you're someone who liked "Wonderful Life" but found it a bit too sappy and simple at the end, you're gonna love most of "Good Fortune." It's a movie that takes the familiar, long-replicated format (of a somewhat smug, all-knowing angel telling a long-suffering guy that his life is great and he should just change his attitude) and flips it on its head. "Good Fortune" isn't cynical enough to argue that George should've jumped off that bridge, but it does spend more time examining how poverty can suck the life out of someone.
"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends," is a famous line from "Wonderful Life," but "Good Fortune" responds simply: having friends means little if you can't afford to live.
Keanu Reeves is adorable as Gabriel, heaven's dumbest angel
The George equivalent in "Good Fortune" is Arj (Aziz Ansari), a man who is living in his car and trying to survive off whatever short-term job he can get his hands on. Throughout that first act he goes through a million sharply-drawn indignities in his quest for basic financial stability, something that the movie's version of Clarence — Gabriel, an angel played by Keanu Reeves — has never had to deal with himself. So when Gabriel tries to give Arj the "Wonderful Life" treatment, "Good Fortune" spirals into something far darker and funnier than the first act implied.
It might've been too dark to work, if not for Keanu Reeves' innocent performance making the whole thing pop. This poor sweet angel genuinely wants to help, but his clumsiness and naivete fuels so much of this movie's mayhem. Reeves here is nearly unrecognizable from his recent "John Wick" performances, returning instead to the vibes of his 1989 demeanor in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure."
A little less funny is Seth Rogen as the movie's answer to Mr. Potter. While "Wonderful Life" paints its capitalist villain as a total heartless robber baron, Rogen's venture capitalist character Jeff is simply oblivious and self-centered. It's a character type that might actually be more irritating, as at least Mr. Potter never put up a friendly, understanding facade.
Good Fortune is not as funny as it could be
Maybe it was because I saw this movie at a 9:15 AM press screening, but neither I nor the big audience with me laughed all that much at "Good Fortune." I did blow air out of my nose at a lot of the punchlines, though, so that's something. But outside of one particularly dark joke involving a dog, little of this movie could qualify as hilarious. Even Reeves' Gabriel would be described as lovable first, funny second.
That's not a big knock against the movie though, because the drama of the main storyline works whether the jokes land for you or not. The struggle Arj's going through in the first act hits too hard to disregard, as does the ongoing subplot of his love interest Elena (Keke Palmer), who's trying to improve her work life despite the whole world seeming to be against her. Sometimes the jokes aren't funny so much as they are vindicating; it's cathartic to see a movie capture all the little insulting ways that low-wage workers are often treated.
Like with "It's a Wonderful Life" there's a dark throughline here: the main character is implicitly contemplating suicide for much of the film, and "Good Fortune" keeps those stakes feeling present the whole way through. "Good Fortune" is a dramedy that's more successful on the drama side of things. It's a darker "It's a Wonderful Life" and a more fantastical "Master of None." For Aziz Ansari's big comeback project it's not a triumphant return, but it's a good start.
/Film Rating: 7 out of 10
"Good Fortune" premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 17, 2025.