Allow the actor Grin More Often: An Exploration at His Performance in the New Film
Good Fortune, the fantasy comedy by actor Aziz Ansari, has been facing challenges in theaters. Several reasons may explain its reception: Its generic title fails to convey its film's distinctive appeal. The screenplay is often moralizing and heavy-handed with the themes. Its performances seem flat and staged, as if the actors are reciting dialogue straight from the page. And, the film comes during an era marked by economic uncertainty and disparity, which may make viewers not very receptive to a story which implies wealthy people enjoy all the benefits while the poor possess spirit.
However, this is what Good Fortune excels: It's original, bold, creative, often funny, and undoubtedly timely. And, it provides an unexpectedly great Keanu Reeves character-driven experience.
Keanu Reeves in the role of Angel: His Typical Performance
Personally, I've never regarded Reeves to be a good actor. The actor's monotonal speaking style and persistent look of slight concern have consistently felt one-note, regardless of his wide range of characters he's played during the last four decades of his career. Smart directors have often cast Reeves in parts in which his stoic nature fits perfectly, including My Own Private Idaho to the sci-fi classic to the action series. Yet nearly all of these characters called for him to seem hardened, distant, and detached.
Throughout the film, Reeves plays Gabriel, a low-level protecting celestial being assigned with looking after individuals that text while driving. His whole job involves remaining in their vehicles and gently making contact with their shoulders when they're about to have an accident, alerting the person in order that the driver stop before impact. But, while standing overlooking his domain, looking down upon humanity like an alternative version of a celestial figure in Wim Wenders' renowned movie Wings of Desire, Gabriel becomes ambitious. He wants to be an exceptional protector and rescuer of wayward individuals.
The Surprising Shift: Reeves Playing a Mortal
Therefore, he presents himself to down-and-out odd-jobber Arj (played by Aziz Ansari), who is residing out of his car and resenting his life. The angel then exchanges Arj with the life of extremely wealthy tech mogul a character (played by the comedian). This idea behind the experiment was that Arj to understand the wealthy man's life has significant downsides, and thankfully go back to his original life, much like a figure from It's a Wonderful Life.
Problem was, the character right away realizes that Jeff's issues (tedious meetings, a pricey pool-heater bill) are minor and readily solved using wealth. Arj further realizes how being rich opens up endless chances for self-indulgent enjoyment. He shows no desire in going back to his own life, and the angel is unable to force Arj to return. Then, additional trouble arrives: For exceeding his duties and disrupting the balance of the world, the character loses his position from his celestial role, and turned into a human being.
The Revelation: The Actor Smiles
I was never persuaded by Reeves playing an celestial being with grand dreams and a burning wish to make a difference. He delivers the same vaguely stiff acting he has been providing for at least the last 3 decades. Viewing Reeves as an angel who's recently become mortal for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be a blast, due to something which really surprised viewers initially: This is an element different for the actor. Or more accurately, an aspect from the past.
Early into his baffling career as a mortal, clinging to Jeff (whom the angel had swapped with Arj's precarious existence and underemployed status), Gabriel begins hesitantly trying out human experiences like eating and consuming food. And the actor smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, joyously beams. (This is a lot more believable than the grin shown in the promotional image, which appears artificially added.)
The Reason This Grin Is Significant
It really took me aback to realize just how surprising and refreshing the expression felt. When did we last audiences observed the actor grin in a film where he was not expressing ill will, irony, or bitterness? The actor probably tries a smile at some point in 2020's ill-conceived the sequel, but I am not going to revisiting the disappointment to confirm. Reeves has been stuck with serious, violent, broody, or just serious characters for so long that just watching Reeves grin felt like observing an entirely different actor.
While the story goes on, the character ends up having to get a dishwashing position, a role that fails to provide enough to live on, and Gabriel begins smoking heavily due to frustration. Simply the image of the actor in a cheap plastic restaurant cap, his late-career trademark locks tied in a plain ponytail, leaning on a wall and puffing on a smoke, proves worthy of the price of admission. His kitchen worker getup completely changes his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the lean, well-dressed physical powerhouse of his famous films becomes gawky, unglamorous, and much increasingly human.
A Pleasure of Watching Reeves Loosen Up
The film isn't consistently enjoyable to watch, especially when Ansari (who also wrote the screenplay) has to create plausible reasons for {Ar