Good Fortune (dir. Aziz Ansari)
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 97 mins
UK Distributor: Lionsgate
UK Release Date: 17 October 2025
WHO’S IN GOOD FORTUNE?
Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Keanu Reeves, Sherry Cola, Stephen McKinley Henderson
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Aziz Ansari (director, writer, producer), Brady Fujikawa, Jon Humphrey, Anthony Katagas and Alan Yang (producers), Carter Burwell (composer), Adam Newport-Berra (cinematographer), Daniel Haworth (editor)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A guardian angel (Reeves) meddles in the lives of a wealthy entrepreneur (Rogen) and a struggling gig worker (Ansari)…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON GOOD FORTUNE?
Everyone remembers Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life as a feel-good Christmas classic where, through the power of divine intervention, a downtrodden man sees how much better off everyone is with him around. But what if, whilst going through that horrifying alternate reality, George Bailey decided that he not only didn’t want to leave, but also to take over the life of the wealthy villain Mr. Potter? Poor Clarence certainly wouldn’t have gotten his wings if that’s how the situation ended, that’s for sure.
It’s a humorous thought that comedian and actor Aziz Ansari runs with in his feature filmmaking debut Good Fortune, a modern spin on the Capra classic that swaps the Christmas setting for an economically imbalanced Los Angeles, reimagines Bailey and Potter as respective gig workers and tech bros, and most amusingly of all places Keanu Reeves in the Clarence role where, much like his character, the actor finds himself hilariously beyond his depth. But while Ansari has good light-hearted fun with his own take on the timeless concept, the filmmaker is surprisingly more effective in providing a sobering commentary on wealth inequality in an unapologetically capitalist society, which even amidst the more outlandish humour resonates deeply in a climate where simply making ends meet is a far more difficult task than it ever should be.
Ansari also stars as Arj, an unemployed documentary editor who earns money performing various tasks around the city via a Fiverr-like app, but even then he makes mere pennies and lives in his car, unable to afford many of the luxuries his brief employers indulge in on a regular basis. One such employer is Jeff (Seth Rogen), a wealthy entrepreneur who initially hires Arj as a personal assistant while he bums around in his life of excessive privilege, only to abruptly fire him after he uses the company credit card to pay for a $300 dinner date with fellow gig worker Elena (Keke Palmer). For the record, this is after Jeff is shown splurging nearly ten times that amount on an engraved watch.
It’s at this point when, much like Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life, Gabriel (Reeves) steps in to help. A guardian angel who’s determined to prove himself as a saver of lost souls, rather than simply look out for those who are texting and driving, Gabriel decides to swap Arj and Jeff’s lives so that Arj can see how empty and vacuous a life of wealth would be compared to the one he currently has. However, it ends up having the complete opposite effect, as Arj revels in his newfound fortune while Jeff, now the hapless gig worker, is forced to endure the gruelling work conditions he previously exploited, and along with Gabriel who, thanks to his mindless mishap, is stripped of his wings and exiled to the human world, attempts to reclaim his life by any means necessary.
While never a consistently laugh-out-loud movie, particularly in its rocky first act that initially struggles to maintain the focus and pacing it later settles on, Good Fortune is still funny enough for this premise to work in the ways that Ansari intends. His script gets a good amount of enjoyment out of the fantastical Capra-esque situation (with a little hint of Trading Places and even Wings of Desire), particularly as his character Arj becomes consumed by the excessive wealth he’s supposed to ultimately reject, while Rogen’s now-struggling Jeff and especially Reeves’s clueless Gabriel form an unlikely double-act as they attempt to adjust to their new reality. Seeing them all play off each other as they attempt to make this timeline stick (or unstick, in Jeff’s case) makes for some of the film’s funniest moments, for the chemistry between the actors is solid and they each bring their own reliable brand of humour to a script and direction that allows them to fully flex their comedic talents.
However, Ansari still makes you care for these characters and their rather warm bond with one another. Ansari’s Arj maintains a strong charisma that makes it easy to buy how this alternate-universe version of him ended up doing so well, and even as much of a rich entitled douche as Jeff can be, kind of like what spoiled young Ivan from Anora would probably grow up to be, there are times when even he comes off as fairly charming and likeable, even before their lives are swapped. It is Reeves, though, who forms the film’s secret weapon, for not only does the actor reembody his inner Ted “Theodore” Logan to play a similarly clueless spiritual being with a hilarious fascination for mundane things (the actor’s naturally stilted delivery makes this angel’s verbal appreciation of everything from baby elephants to “chicken nuggies” even funnier), but like his co-stars he is playing a character who wears his heart on his sleeve a bit too much, and because of that or even in spite of it, he emerges as the film’s purest character who arguably has a much harder personal journey than either of his subjects.
Beyond its well-natured humour, Good Fortune provides a smart and sophisticated look at the heavily flawed gig economy that all our main characters at one point or another feel the full negative effects of. Scenes of Arj and Jeff initially struggling to find consistent work, whether it’s delivering food or simply standing in a line for two hours to draw further attention to the product being sold, are vaguely soul-crushing in how inhumanely such workers are treated, especially as AI-powered robots are fast taking all of their business. Even Gabriel, who after landing a job in a kitchen is dismayed when his first paycheck is littered with overwhelming tax and insurance deductions, feels the full emotional brunt of working in a world that for whatever reason refuses to treat hard-working people with care or dignity. All the while, Ansari largely avoids going full soapbox with these pressing issues (save for one or two speeches later on that might as well be delivered directly to the viewer) and gives it all a rather heartwarming spin, not necessarily offering easy solutions but at least making people’s voices heard by raising awareness that the exploitation of zero-hours contracts is a problem that desperately needs to be looked into.
Whether or not Good Fortune inspires actual change (my guess is, probably not), it still provides a finely executed comedic experience with tons of heart and intelligence that help the film earn its wings.
SO, TO SUM UP…
Good Fortune is a heartfelt fantasy-comedy that scores strong if inconsistent laughs from the amusing premise and chemistry between its charming leads, while also providing smart commentary on the deeply flawed nature of the gig economy that can be surprisingly emotional.
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