🔗 Share this article

Good Fortune, the fantasy film by actor the director, is facing challenges in theaters. Several reasons could account for the film's reception: Its generic name fails to convey the film's unique appeal. The script can be moralizing and obvious with the messages. Its acting are uninspired and staged, like the actors are reciting dialogue directly from the page. Moreover, it arrives at a time of financial anxiety and disparity, that may make audiences not very open to a story which suggests rich individuals enjoy all the advantages while the poor possess spirit.

However, this is where the movie excels: It's unique, daring, creative, often humorous, and certainly relevant. Plus, it offers an unexpectedly great the actor hangout movie.

Keanu Reeves in the role of Guardian: His Typical Performance

Personally, I've not considered Keanu Reeves a strong performer. His flat speaking style and consistent look of mild perturbation has consistently seemed one-note, despite the broad variety of roles he's taken on during the past 40 years. Smart filmmakers have often placed Reeves in parts where his rigidity fits perfectly, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to the action series. Yet almost every one of those roles called for Reeves to appear tough, distant, or removed.

In the film, the actor plays an angel, one minor protecting angel assigned with looking after individuals who text while behind the wheel. The character's whole duty is sitting in his vehicles and gently touching their arms as they are close to have an accident, warning them so the driver stop in time. However, when standing overlooking the city, gazing on humanity similar to an alternative interpretation of a celestial figure in the director's renowned movie the angel story, the character becomes ambitious. Gabriel desires to be an exceptional guardian and a savior of wayward souls.

A Surprising Shift: Keanu as a Mortal

So, Gabriel reveals himself to struggling handyman Arj (portrayed by the director), who's residing in his car and resenting his situation. The angel proceeds to swaps the man with the existence of extremely wealthy tech mogul a character (played by Seth Rogen). This point behind the exercise was for Arj to understand the wealthy man's existence comes with major downsides, and gratefully go back to his own circumstances, much like a figure from It's a Wonderful Life.

Problem is, Arj right away discovers how Jeff's issues (tedious appointments, a pricey heating bill) prove negligible and easily resolved with wealth. He further realizes that becoming rich provides endless chances for pleasurable fun. He shows zero desire in returning to his previous situation, and the angel can't compel Arj to go back. Then, additional bad news comes: Because of overstepping his duties and messing with the order of the world, the character is fired as an celestial role, and transformed to a mortal.

The Revelation: The Actor Smiles

I was never persuaded by Reeves playing an angel with big aspirations and a burning wish to make a difference. He turns in the same vaguely constipated performance he's been offering for at least the last 3 decades. Viewing Reeves as an angel that has just become mortal for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be highly entertaining, for a reason which truly surprised me initially: This is something new for the actor. Or perhaps more accurately, something from the past.

Early during the character's confusing career being a human, clinging to Jeff (whom Gabriel had swapped with Arj's precarious existence and jobless situation), Gabriel starts hesitantly trying out everyday experiences like eating and swallowing meals. Then Reeves smiles. Authentically, hesitantly, joyously smiles. (It's a lot much convincing than his smile shown in the poster, that looks digitally altered.)

The Reason That Grin Matters

The moment truly took me aback to realize just how surprising and refreshing that expression was. At what point did we last audiences observed Keanu Reeves smile in a film where he wasn't expressing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? The actor probably tries it at some point in 2020's misbegotten the sequel, but I am not returning to that mess to find out. The actor has remained stuck with grim, murderous, introspective, or simply serious roles for so long that merely seeing him grin seemed like observing a completely new performer.

While the story goes on, Gabriel ends up having to get a kitchen position, which doesn't pay enough to live on, and he begins chain-smoking due to disappointment. Simply the sight of the actor in a cheap paper restaurant hat, with his recent trademark long hair pulled back in a plain bun, leaning on a wall and puffing on a smoke, is worthy of watching. The kitchen worker attire completely changes his face and posture: Suddenly, the slim, suited action star of his famous films becomes awkward, unglamorous, and much increasingly human.

The Pleasure of Viewing Reeves Relax

The film is not consistently fun to watch, especially when Ansari (who also wrote the script) must create plausible explanations for {Ar