Good Fortune (2025) is written & directed by Aziz Ansari. It stars Keanu Reeves, Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogan, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Blanca Araceli, Joe Mande, Aditya Geddada, Alexander Jo, Shoukath Ansari, and Cam Barr. The film follows Gabriel (Reeves), a kind but dim-witted angel who sets out to show Arj (Ansari), a down-on-his-luck delivery driver, that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. To make his point, Gabriel temporarily switches the lives of Arj and his uber-wealthy new boss, Jeff (Rogan). Unfortunately for Gabriel, having immense wealth does, in fact, solve most of Arj’s issues. Now demoted to becoming a disgraced semi-human for his disastrous “lesson,” Gabriel is without his powers, forcing Arj and Jeff to accept their new lives for the foreseeable future. As the men live in one another’s shoes, it eventually becomes clear that Gabriel’s ‘lesson’ might have more merit than his superiors thought. 

Ansari, Reaves, and Rogan each deliver fitting, yet predictable, performances. Ansari is charming in the lead, but there’s not a lot that truly separates Arj from the bland protagonists we typically get from these kinds of humorous parables. Rogan also provides nothing particularly memorable in the role of Jeff, but he’s believable as a cold-plunge-loving, six-figure watch-wearing billionaire. In one of the film’s more hilariously relevant moments, Jeff offers Arj money to put things back to normal. The only thing is, Jeff’s offer is a clear case of low-balling. He’ll spend six figures on a watch, but he hesitates to pay half of that to regain his life. The standout of the trio is easily Keanu Reeves as the airheaded angel, Gabriel. The character feels like a combination of Neo from The Matrix (1999) and Ted from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989). Unfortunately, many of his best moments/lines were spoiled in the film’s marketing. 

Other than Reeves’ irresistibly goofy presence, the film struggles to deliver many memorable laughs. Ansari’s writing tends to come across as overly pretentious, almost as if he backed himself into a corner by choosing to write a premise that revolves around themes of morality. He doesn’t seem to know how to explore these themes in an efficient or compelling way. His style here is almost like a more fantastical, but less entertaining version of a Judd Apatow dramedy. Thankfully, the easy-going tone and energetic characters help to keep the viewer engaged throughout.

Ansari mostly fails to prove himself as a compelling storyteller. That being said, there are still numerous moments that demonstrate a strong understanding of the medium’s technical elements. From the very first scene, it’s made clear that Ansari understands the many upsides of telling his story visually, first and foremost. If he can apply these skills to stronger material in the future, I have faith that his next film will be a notable improvement.

Overall, Good Fortune is a perfectly inoffensive, Trading Places (1983)-like moral quandary comedy that should easily entertain most audiences for two hours. Unfortunately, the film fails to be anything beyond ‘serviceable’ due to its consistently clashing tones. The humor often handcuffs the dramatic elements, and vice versa. Its message is never as original or profound as it believes it to be, and a majority of its best jokes were spoiled by its marketing. Thankfully, the easy-going and inviting tone, as well as a fun turn by Reeves, make this an experience I think most people will tentatively enjoy. B-