Good Fortune
Good Fortune
In Good Fortune, Ansari plays a down-on-his-luck guy who is working myriad jobs. He's hired by a new acquaintance (played by Seth Rogen), who lives in the Hollywood Hills, to do various jobs for him - put in a disco floor, fix the pool heater. Keanu Reeves "valley" angel makes it so Rogen's rich guy situation is swapped with Ansari, so the latter has the former's life.
Kevin Ward reviewedNovember 4, 2025
Likeable cast all around with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, and Keke Palmer, and a surprising amount of pathos that makes it an enjoyable watch. It’s not exactly laugh out loud funny, but the humor works more often than not. The film ties its story to the degrading conditions of the gig economy and how systems are designed to keep working people struggling while funneling wealth upward.
Arj (Ansari) getting his car impounded for parking tickets is a perfect example of that cycle. He can only reclaim it if he pays everything in full, but each day adds more and more impound fees. Reeves plays a low-level guardian angel, Gabriel, who goes above his pay grade to offer Arj hope for his life by swapping his body with Jeff (Rogen), a white-collar capitalist, as a lesson in perspective. Gabriel assumes Arj will see that maybe Jeff’s life isn’t so easy and Arj will quickly ask for his life back. Naturally, it backfires, as money has an amazing ability to solve many of life’s problems. Gabriel is left scrambling to convince him to switch back or else he could lose his angel wings for good.
The premise works as a light satire with some warmth underneath. It just needed more Keke Palmer, whose brief screen time feels like an underused opportunity for spark. I lived the portrayal of her character Elena, who works tirelessly to unionize the workers at the hardware store at which both she and Arj are employed. The closing Seth Rogen boardroom monologue was a little heavy handed, but otherwise a pretty cute movie.