Angels watching over and helping people has been a popular plotline in Hollywood since silent films. Classic films The Bishop’s Wife, Heaven Can Wait, and It’s a Wonderful Life have delighted moviegoers from generation to generation, inspired future filmmakers, and created the unforgettable angels Mr. Jordan, Dudley, and, of course, Clarence.
Now comes Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) in the 2025 comedy film Good Fortune. Gabriel is a well-meaning but rather inept angel whose job is to stop drivers who are texting on their cell phones while driving from causing accidents, but Gabriel yearns for more. He aspires to be an angel who can inspire those who have lost hope and show them that their lives are worth the struggle. (Sounds familiar, right?)
Gabriel focuses on Arj (Aziz Ansari), a struggling gig worker who mainly drives around delivering food and running other errands for wealthy people but is still living in his car, unable to keep his head above water. Things start to look up for Arj when he meets and begins working as an assistant to Jeff (Seth Rogen), a wealthy venture capitalist.
Unfortunately, when Jeff fires Arj for a slight indiscretion, he becomes worse off than before taking the job. So, Gabriel decides to take it upon himself to show Arj that having all that wealth wouldn’t solve all of his problems by swapping Arj and Jeff’s lives.
This approach doesn’t work, however, as having a beautiful home and riches beyond his imagination does solve most of Arj’s problems. Gabriel’s noble intentions lead to Jeff struggling to convince Arj to switch back, which in turn leads to the well-meaning angel being in big trouble with his superior, Martha (Sandra Oh).
Written, directed, and co-starring Aziz Ansari, Good Fortune is an uneven social comedy that has few laughs and not enough heart. It’s also not original, lifting its plot and themes from classic films such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Trading Places.
As an actor, Ansari’s got terrific timing. However, as a feature film director, Ansari has much to learn about pacing and subtlety. Good Fortune’s pacing is choppy and clunky while moving from scene to scene. There’s a noticeable lack of rhythm and flow.
The film’s message about the well-off being dismissive and uncaring of those struggling to survive in today’s economy is presented and even preached about multiple times, with Ansari’s screenplay taking a heavy-handed approach to its presentation. The comedy’s only saving grace is Keanu Reeves’ performance as Gabriel, the likeable but not too smart angel who only wants to help both Arj and Jeff but always seems to just make matters worse. The best scenes in the film are between Reeves and Rogen. When they’re not together, the film suffers from a lack of laughs.
Good Fortune has its heart in the right place with its timely social message, but the movie just doesn’t work and completely misses the mark.
GRADE: C-
Rating: R for language and some drug use
Running Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Studio: Lionsgate
