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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the fantasy comedy by comedian Aziz Ansari, has been facing challenges in theaters. Many reasons could explain the film's performance: The generic name fails to express the movie's unique charm. Its screenplay can be moralizing and obvious regarding its themes. Its performances seem uninspired and staged, like the actors were reciting lines directly from the page. Moreover, the film comes during an era of financial anxiety and inequality, which may make audiences less receptive to a story that implies wealthy people have all the benefits while those in need possess heart.

But, this is where the movie stands out: The film is original, bold, creative, often humorous, and undoubtedly timely. Plus, it provides a great Keanu Reeves character-driven experience.

Keanu Reeves as an Guardian: His Typical Performance

Personally, I've never regarded Reeves a good performer. The actor's monotonal speaking style and consistent expression of slight concern has consistently felt one-note, regardless of his broad range of roles he has taken on during the last four decades of his career. Astute filmmakers have often placed Reeves in roles in which that rigidity works ideally, from his early work to The Matrix to the action series. Yet nearly all of those roles required him to seem hardened, distant, and removed.

Throughout Good Fortune, Reeves portrays Gabriel, one low-level protecting angel assigned with watching over individuals that use their phones while behind the wheel. His whole duty is sitting in his vehicles and lightly making contact with their shoulders when they are about to crash, warning them in order that they brake in time. But, while standing overlooking the city, looking down upon humanity similar to an alternative version of the angel from Wim Wenders' renowned movie Wings of Desire, the character gets ambitious. Gabriel wants to be a great protector and a savior of wayward souls.

The Surprising Turn: Keanu Playing a Human

Therefore, Gabriel reveals his presence to down-and-out odd-jobber a character (portrayed by Aziz Ansari), who is residing in his car and resenting his situation. The angel then swaps Arj into the life of stupidly rich businessman a character (acted by the comedian). The point behind the experiment is that the character would realize Jeff's existence comes with major downsides, and gratefully go back to his own circumstances, much like a character from the classic film.

Issue was, the character immediately discovers that the mogul's issues (boring meetings, expensive pool-heater bill) are minor and easily resolved with money. He also sees how becoming affluent provides limitless chances for self-indulgent fun. The character has zero interest in going back to his previous situation, and Gabriel can't compel him to return. Then, additional bad news arrives: Because of overstepping his mandate and messing with the order of the world, the character loses his position as an celestial role, and turned to a human being.

A Revelation: The Actor Smiles

I was never persuaded by the actor playing an angel who has grand aspirations and a burning wish to effect change. He delivers a familiar somewhat constipated acting he's been offering for no less than the last three decades. Viewing him in the role of angel that has recently turned mortal initially, on the other hand, proved to be a blast, due to something which really astonished viewers initially: This is something different for Reeves. Or perhaps more accurately, something old.

Early during the character's baffling experience as a human, staying with the wealthy character (who the angel exchanged with the handyman's hand-to-mouth existence and jobless situation), the character starts hesitantly experimenting with everyday experiences such as chewing and swallowing meals. And Reeves grins. Genuinely, hesitantly, happily smiles. (It's far more believable than his smile shown in the promotional image, that looks artificially added.)

The Reason This Smile Matters

The moment really took me aback to recognize how surprising and refreshing that smile felt. When was the last time audiences saw the actor grin in a film where he wasn't showing ill will, irony, or resentment? He likely attempts it at some point in the recent misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, but I am not revisiting the disappointment to find out. The actor has been typecast with serious, murderous, broody, or simply serious roles for such a duration that merely watching him grin seemed like seeing an entirely new performer.

As the story progresses, Gabriel ends up needing to take a kitchen position, which doesn't pay enough to live on, and Gabriel starts smoking heavily out of disappointment. Just the sight of the actor in a cheap paper food-service hat, his late-career signature long hair tied in an unglamorous bun, leaning on a building and smoking a cigarette, proves worth the price of admission. The dishwasher attire completely changes his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the lean, well-dressed physical powerhouse of the John Wick films becomes gawky, unglamorous, and a lot increasingly relatable.

A Joy of Watching Keanu Relax

The film is not always fun to watch, especially when Ansari (that also wrote the script) must create believable reasons for {Ar