Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Good Fortune review says Aziz Ansari’s cosmic comedy starring Keanu Reeves semi-successfully blends the absurd with the heartfelt.

Set in modern-day Los Angeles, Good Fortune follows Arj (Aziz Ansari, making his feature film debut as writher/director/star), a down-on-his-luck gig worker juggling an endless string of low-paying side hustles.

Whether he’s waiting in line for other people’s cinnamon buns, making food deliveries, or picking up odd tasks through an app, Arj’s life embodies the precarious reality of the modern gig economy.

He’s reduced to sleeping in his car and teetering on despair, when he encounters Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), a “budget guardian angel” tasked with stopping people from texting and driving. Gabriel sees potential in Arj’s struggling spirit and decides to show him that wealth doesn’t automatically bring happiness.

Gabriel’s plan unfolds through a fantastical encounter between Arj and Jeff (Seth Rogen), a rich and self-absorbed tech mogul to whom Arj makes a delivery. Gabriel defies angelic protocol, risking his own wings to nudge them both toward redemption.

What follows is a playful yet poignant riff on It’s a Wonderful Life, updated for an era of wealth disparity and disappearing job security, told with Ansari’s trademark sardonic humor.

Good Fortune review — Celestial cast

Reeves delivers what might be his funniest performance in years. As Gabriel, he channels the wide-eyed sincerity of his early career roles in Bill & Ted and Parenthood, infusing the hapless angel with both clumsy warmth and existential yearning.

This is funny Keanu, a celestial do-gooder who wants to elevate his purpose from preventing fender benders to saving souls. Even when Gabriel’s interventions backfire, Reeves plays him with such unguarded sweetness that the character becomes impossible not to root for.

Ansari, in turn, excels as the everyman Arj. His performance captures the fatigue and quiet desperation of precarious urban living without losing the understated wryness audiences know from Master of None. It’s in Arj’s weary glances and awkward small talk that the film’s emotional core resides.

As a director, however, Ansari’s laid-back approach sometimes works against the film. Scenes linger past their punchlines, and transitions meander, leaving the story feeling inert where momentum is sorely needed. Still, his naturalism keeps the film grounded amid its celestial absurdities.

Rogen is similarly strong as Jeff, the smug boss whose wealth affords him every luxury but little awareness. What could have been a one-note joke becomes a textured satire of corporate blindness.

The supporting cast—including Keke Palmer as Elena, a retail worker and would-be union organizer—adds texture and moral urgency, grounding the comedy in the real struggles of the working class.

Good Fortune review — High on humor, low on…

While the film is high on humor, it’s a bit low on production value. The movie’s visual palette leans heavily on handheld camerawork and natural lighting, creating an intimacy that often borders on sitcom simplicity. Los Angeles, rendered as a city of day-job purgatories and angelic interventions, feels more like a slightly polished indie feature than a big-studio comedy.

Ansari’s script thrives on dialogue rather than spectacle, skewering everything from corporate greed to AI-driven automation. Yet his direction occasionally lacks urgency. Moments that should soar instead loiter in self-conscious quirkiness, mirroring the aimlessness of its protagonist. There’s something genuinely endearing in its rough edges.

At its heart, Good Fortune is a morality tale about an economy stacked against ordinary people. The film’s depiction of gig work is both satirical and painfully accurate: apps that promise flexibility but don’t come through, bosses who act like friends until you’re no longer useful, and the quiet erosion of self-worth under economic strain.

Like It’s a Wonderful Life, it suggests that human connection and purpose matter more than wealth—but unlike Capra’s classic, Ansari’s world doesn’t hand out easy redemptions. The angels here are tired, the poor are hustling, and faith—heavenly or otherwise—is increasingly hard to keep.

Despite its pacing flaws and modest craftsmanship, Good Fortune stands out for its earnest humor and poignant social conscience. Reeves’s inspired turn as a bumbling angel gives the film its soul, while Ansari’s grounded performance gives it heart.

Rated R

1 Hour 38 Minutes

If this Good Fortune review encourages you to flutter on over to the cineplex for a look, find times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Good Fortune review says Aziz Ansari’s cosmic comedy starring Keanu Reeves semi-successfully blends the absurd with the heartfelt.