Diractors is an ongoing series in which Hassle writer Jack Draper examines films, new and old, whose directors are better known for their work in front of the camera.
Earlier this year I covered Jillian Bell’s Summer of 69, a raunchy comedy about a teen girl losing her virginity that accomplished what it aimed for. Not a lot of big ideas or moments loom large above the movie; just some very smart and insightful joke writing. When discussing any semi-successful comedy these days that isn’t a complete disaster, those who are especially tapped in love to eulogize what the studio comedy once was. The autopsy is pretty clear, but maybe that doesn’t mean the comedy movie can’t be resuscitated. Summer of 69 was once again lumped into the conversation and fell victim to what many point to as one of the main culprits: theaters and streaming. Most everything that should be a movie is a TV show, and comedies in movie theaters are very far from where you can get that hit of laughter. Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune is a return and retort to much of what has been lacking in American comedies. Even with big ideas, it’s refreshing to Ansari resist the urge to sacrifice that for big laughs.
Its a major loss for Ansari, as over the years the public had sour on him for numerous reasons. Even though this is an actor turning to directing, his intelligent writing shines through. We follow Gabriel (Keanu Reaves) as a Temu guardian angel who exclusively assists folks in nearly avoiding an accident when texting and driving. He notices Arj (Ansari) who’s single and broke, making Postmates/Instacart-like deliveries for wealthy tech CEO Jeff (Seth Rogan). When Anj uses Jeff’s credit card on a date with Elena (Keke Palmer), he is fired, as it was assumed a steak dinner is no issue for a contemporary billionaire. When Arj gets his car towed and hits rock bottom, Gabriel intervenes by showing Arj that his life wouldn’t be all that better if he was the one with tech CEO wealth and Jeff was the Uber Eats driver. This fails dramatically, as Arj loves being materialistic and popular, yet nobody is there to protect him when he is in a collision when testing and driving. Making matters worse, Gabriel’s meddling has made his privileges as an angel revoked from superior (??) angel Martha, (Sandra Oh) thus making him and Jeff broke, single and facing the same lower class struggles Arj once did.
It impresses me how so much happens in a 95 minute runtime, yet this is far from an overstuffed debut. Nor is there an overreliance on reductive messaging from a Hollywood Liberal. One of the conclusions Ansari comes to is how we can coexist to further understand class consciousness if we just walked a mile in each other’s shoes. Good Fortune never emulsifies the frustrations of the gig economy, and the questions about the human condition put further in some of the movies clear influences like Heaven Can Wait and It’s a Wonderful Life– and that’s alright. There’s just the right amount of clear, righteous anger that Ansari is trusting in the audience to then have fun with Keanu learning to salsa dance and understand how taxes work. Good Fortune is another example of staying true to how contemporary America for millennials is hell, not for lack of trying.
Aziz Ansari……what a couple of years. He has always come off as insightful to me, as a teen especially. I was tapped into what was happening in pop culture when Aziz happened to be on fire with some of his most charming stand ups, a consistent anchor in Parks and Rec and fully buying into the artistry that became Master of None. I even loved his book, Modern Romance: An Investigation, which is probably dated now ten years later (damn). Yet, for a moment, Ansari was positioned as the modern, millennial romantic lead. Especially with success of Master of None giving way to other shows centered around millennial comedians wear many creative hats like Atlanta or Ramy.
Parks ended in 2015, Master of None stumbled to a finish in 2021, but between that Aziz found himself caught up in sexual assault allegations with inappropriate behavior revealed during a date. How nefarious this was seems to be accepted today as nothing more than a date that ended badly, even though his Nice Guy persona is really Aziz not just his schtick on screen. Since then his original debut, Being Mortal, was canceled due to Bill Murray’s inappropriate behavior with Good Fortune cast members Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer were attached to the former project. Even this year, he still makes these public decisions that disappoint everyone with choosing to perform in the Riyadh comedy festival. To accepting and ignoring what it means to take a gig for the Saudi Arabia government is one thing, but to be grilled by Jimmy Kimmel of all people is another low. All this and I don’t know what the future really holds for Good Fortune other than being an easy recommendation. As for now, I think this is just another rock solid comedy that would’ve been made 15 years ago.
Good Fortune
2025
dir. Aziz Ansari
98 min.
Now playing @ Somerville Theatre, Kendall Square Cinema, Apple Cinemas Cambridge, Alamo Drafthouse Boston Seaport, and all local AMCs
