Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Good Fortune 

This film is one of the most heartwarming and wholesome films of the year that left me with a big smile on my face! I remember seeing the announcement of this casting when it went into production with the likes of Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogan and Keanu Reeves was such perfect casting as firstly we have not seen Keanu Reeves in a traditional comedy in quite some time. Not only is he good in this film he is the scene stealer of the picture and gives one of the finest performances of his career. The film packs so much heart and humour and I do feel with the release of all of the films that have come out this month this film will be looked over which is unfortunate  as it is a gem of a film. It feels like a modern take on Frank Capra’s Its a wonderful life and now I feel it does a great job at modernizing the message of that film here. Good Fortune is a wonderful time that has great laughs an amazing amount of heart and a lesson for the audience to walk away with.

Firstly, This film does have quite a lot of political and social issues woven into the narrative that some may feel is far to political for a comedy like this but I found it quite affective in it’s approach. Now the film talks very much about eat the rich in terms of it’s political message and for a lot of people they either will get behind it and see the huge significance  in that especially in the moment we are in right now or will not be invested in that entirely. For me I liked the fact the film was able to go those deep places with current political and social issues that do tackle it in a way that Is serious sure their is a comedic element to it but not in a way that undervalues the seriousness of the tone it is trying to set it with. The film talks about the Class differences between the working man and the rich 1% of the world that gets to enjoy the fine things in life with very little concern where majority of people have to scrap to get by and their is a serious sense of relatability for a ton of people in the conversation Then you also have the subject of treating service workers like human beings and not just disregarding them like their feelings don’t matter their is so much current political themes in this film that this film hits right on the head and I think delves into each single one masterfully. Some may as I mentioned will say it is too heavy handed I disagree I think Aziz Ansari did a tremendous job at balancing the comedy with the drama as the comedy never felt over the top or too cartoony but it also is not your straight forward drama either it was able to blend both elements that compliment one another really well. The film walks a fine line as I said between comedy and drama while also serving a ton of political and social messages throughout for the audience to relate to in a very authentic way. The sheer tone and way this film is done was greatly executed. 

Secondly, The performances of the whole cast was splendid! Now you have the likes of Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogan and Keke Palmer but the person that stole the show in terms of performance is none other then Keanu Reeves giving what I think may just be a top 5 all time performance from him! He channels a lot of Bill and Ted into his performance of Gabriel the angel while also showing that his man wears his heart on his sleeve. Their is not one moment when he is onscreen you get tired of him when he is offscreen your constantly waiting for him to show up again as the way Keanu explores the depths of this character is staggering and you can tell he is having a blast with this role. Keanu Reeves is sensational! Now Seth and Keke do a solid job for sure and the only gripe I would give the film is as well directed and written the film is I did not think Anziz had to star as the lead of the film as well he could of found another actor to play his part and it would of been just as affective. Now again the performance to walk away with that really blew me away was Keanu Reeves work in this. 

Lastly, Good Fortune is one of the funniest, charming and feel good films of the year! Keanu Reeves delivers one of his finest performances of his career and has electric chemistry with Seth Rogan and they make for such a fun comedic duo you never would have thought you needed they are amazing together onscreen. As the film delivers genuine laughs that work each time thanks to the great writing by Aziz Ansari but it also has a great amount of genuine heart that relates through the viewer of struggling to get by in a time where their is a divide between the rich and the blue collar workers and how their lives could not be further apart from one another and what would happen if they saw things from the other perspective from once. The film is hilarious, emotionally affective and one of my favourite films of the year I can see becoming a classic in no time Good Fortune is a great time that I can see myself revisiting multiple times over. I recommend anyone who loves films like the old fashioned early 2000’s comedies of that era will find a fantastic time with this picture. 

This film centres on two guys who couldn’t have more opposite lives with one running into hurdle after hurdle until s Guardian Angel steps in and swaps their lives to show them how the other side lives only for it to backfire 

Rated R : Some Drug Use|Language

Keanu Reeves : Keanu delivers one of the finest works of his career with his turn as Gabriel the angel in Good Fortune! Now I have been a fan of Keanu from when I was a kid to now and he has always constantly been around in terms of his films if it was the fun nature of Bill and Ted, the science fiction masterpiece that is the Matrix or the thrilling action franchise that is John Wick even his summer action blockbuster Point Break is one of my favourites of his. He has always delivered top notch quality films and I think I can speak for many when I say he is a favourite to watch onscreen regardless of what the role is he is just so charismatic  in whatever he does. Here he plays Gabriel an Angel with a heart of gold and the way that Keanu springs this character to life harkens back to the comedic roles he did in the late 80’s and early 90’s and you can see him channel that kind of personality for this role and it works beautifully. As I heard someone say “he acts as if Paddington bear was a human being” and that honestly sounds like the perfect description for his character as their is a childlike innocence he shows onscreen thorough the lens of this role that just makes you smile from ear to ear. As he constantly is worsening the situation for others and himself but has no idea he is as he means well he just has no idea how to go about things in a way that benefits himself and others as he thinks with his heart and not his head. For instance when he is punished for not doing his duties the way he is told to he is stripped of his powers and has to be a human until things are fixed and when he gets to explore the world as a human for the first time it is the most hilarious and heartwarming thing you’ll see onscreen. As in a way he is seeing the world for the first time as he has never had a meal, danced or enjoyed the basic things in life we take for granted in our day to day routine and the way Keanu goes about showing that through his performance is magnificent. He does not play this character as a one note performance as so many actors would have but he tries to explore the human element in someone that has never explored the human condition before and you see him go through moments of doubt and depression on himself and at times really beat himself up over the situation he is in as all the hardships do get to him eventually. Keanu goes through an amazing arc feeling the highs and lows of what it is to be human while also giving this golden retriever persona that is one of the most wholesome things you will see all year. Keanu’s comedic timing is also so freaking brilliant he knows exactly when a joke is the perfect place to hit and is executed amazingly well overall Keanu Reeves delivers what I truly thing is one of his finest hours onscreen in a performance I would rang among one of his all time best Reeves is a revelation in this film giving a comedically brilliant turn that will leave you warm and fuzzy.

Aziz Ansari : Aziz you can tell is tapping into A Wonderful Life and Trading Places with his film Good Fortune! Now he is not making a carbon copy of those two classic films but is giving his own spin on a genre that has been revisited many times over but he does it in a way that sure is familiar but is different enough in his presentation of it that keeps it fresh and new. The film does have at times a predictable outcome of where the characters end up but the performances are so good you’re willing to overlook the tropes that Aziz falls into. Now the only gripe I will give him is the fact he cast himself as the lead in this film he did a decent job directing and writing the film for sure but their was no need to have to throw himself as the lead of this film a good replacement he should of hired would of been Dave Franco but if you were to replace him as the lead and cast someone else it would not make any difference on how the film would of looked in some areas it would of improved as Aziz I find to be a far better creative behind the scenes that is not in front of the camera. I do though love his ability to craft a story that feels very much like the comedies of the early 2000’s we have not seen in a long time and the only other film that comes close to capturing that magic was Bottoms and No Hard Feelings. Now the film also is able to walk the great line between comedy and drama as he has some very social and political themes he wants the audience to take away from this and I thought it was greatly done. The casting of Seth Rogan and Keanu Reeves is truly amazing work and getting Keanu to play a guardian Angel is one of the best casting choices I have seen this year in a film. The film is able to deliver well earned laughs that work and don’t ever feel forced same goes for the dramatic weight of it was able to have great depths for the characters we follow through the course of the story. Aziz Ansari brings homage to films that came before it while also delivering a magnetic film that is destined to be a classic and will leave the audiences feeling good and learn a lesson or two along the way great writing and direction from Aziz Ansari.