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Good Fortune, this whimsical comedy from comedian Aziz Ansari, is struggling at the box office. Many reasons could explain its reception: Its generic title fails to express its movie's unique charm. Its script can be preachy and heavy-handed regarding its themes. The performances are uninspired and staged, as if the cast are reading dialogue straight from the page. And, it arrives at a time marked by financial anxiety and disparity, which may make viewers less open to a story that implies rich individuals have every advantages while those in need have heart.

However, this is where the movie stands out: The film is original, bold, imaginative, frequently humorous, and certainly timely. Plus, it provides a great the actor character-driven experience.

Keanu Reeves as an Angel: A Familiar Performance

I have never considered Keanu Reeves to be a strong actor. The actor's flat delivery and persistent look of slight concern have always felt one-note, despite the wide variety of roles he has taken on during the past 40 of his career. Smart directors have placed Reeves in parts where that rigidity fits ideally, including his early work to the sci-fi classic to John Wick. But nearly every one of those characters required him to appear tough, closed-off, or removed.

Throughout the film, the actor plays an angel, a low-level guardian celestial being assigned with watching over people that use their phones when behind the wheel. His entire job is remaining in his cars and gently touching their shoulders when they're about to have an accident, warning the person so the driver stop before impact. But, while standing high above his domain, gazing upon humanity similar to a version of a celestial figure from the director's renowned movie Wings of Desire, the character gets ambitious. Gabriel desires to become a great guardian and rescuer of lost individuals.

A Unexpected Turn: Reeves Playing a Human

So, Gabriel presents his presence to struggling handyman a character (played by the director), who is living in his car and resenting his life. Gabriel then exchanges the man into the existence of extremely wealthy businessman a character (played by the comedian). The idea of the exercise is for Arj would understand Jeff's life has significant drawbacks, and gratefully return to his original circumstances, much like the figure in the classic film.

Problem is, the character right away realizes that Jeff's issues (boring meetings, expensive heating invoice) prove negligible and readily solved with wealth. He further sees how being affluent opens up endless chances for self-indulgent fun. The character has zero desire in returning to his own life, and Gabriel is unable to force Arj to go back. Subsequently, additional trouble comes: Because of overstepping his duties and disrupting the balance of existence, the character is fired as an angel role, and transformed into a human being.

The Discovery: The Actor Smiles

I was never convinced by Reeves playing an celestial being with big aspirations and an intense wish to make a difference. He turns in the same somewhat stiff performance he's consistently providing for at least the last three decades. Watching him in the role of celestial being who's just become human initially, on the other hand, proved to be a blast, due to something that really surprised viewers at first: This is an element different for Reeves. Or perhaps more accurately, an aspect from the past.

Early during his confusing experience as a mortal, clinging to the wealthy character (who the angel had swapped into the handyman's precarious existence and underemployed situation), the character begins tentatively experimenting with human experiences such as eating and swallowing meals. Then the actor smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, joyously beams. (This is a lot more believable than his smile on the promotional image, that looks artificially added.)

Why This Grin Matters

It really surprised me to realize just how unexpected and welcome the smile was. At what point was the last time audiences observed Keanu Reeves smile in a movie where he wasn't expressing malice, irony, or resentment? He probably tries a smile at some point in the recent misbegotten the sequel, but I am not returning to that disappointment to find out. Reeves has been typecast with serious, violent, introspective, or just serious characters for so long that merely seeing him smile seemed like observing a completely different performer.

While the story progresses, the character finds himself having to take a dishwashing position, a role that fails to provide enough to live on, and he begins chain-smoking due to frustration. Just the image of the actor in a cheap paper food-service hat, his recent signature locks pulled back in an unglamorous ponytail, leaning on a wall and puffing on a smoke, proves worthy of the price of admission. His kitchen worker attire completely alters his face and body: Unexpectedly, the slim, well-dressed physical powerhouse of the John Wick films is awkward, unglamorous, and a lot more human.

The Pleasure of Watching Keanu Relax

Good Fortune is not always enjoyable to watch, particularly when Ansari (who also authored the screenplay) must find plausible reasons for {Ar