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Good Fortune, the fantasy film by comedian the director, has been struggling at the box office. Many factors may explain its performance: Its uninspired title doesn't express the film's distinctive charm. Its screenplay can be moralizing and heavy-handed with the messages. Its acting seem uninspired and presentational, like the cast are reading lines directly from a script. Moreover, the film comes at a time marked by economic anxiety and disparity, which may make viewers not very receptive to a narrative which implies rich individuals enjoy every advantages while those in need possess spirit.

But, here's what the movie excels: It's unique, bold, creative, frequently funny, and certainly relevant. And, it offers a great Keanu Reeves character-driven movie.

Reeves as an Angel: His Typical Portrayal

I have never considered Reeves a good actor. The actor's flat speaking style and consistent expression of mild perturbation have always felt one-note, despite the wide range of roles he has taken on over the last four decades years. Smart filmmakers have often cast Reeves in roles where that stoic nature fits ideally, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to John Wick. Yet nearly every one of these characters called for him to appear hardened, closed-off, and detached.

In Good Fortune, the actor portrays an angel, a minor protecting angel tasked with looking after people who text while driving. His entire job is sitting in their cars and gently touching the drivers' arms as they are about to have an accident, alerting the person in order that they stop before impact. But, when standing overlooking the city, looking down upon the mortal world like a version of a celestial figure in Wim Wenders' classic film the angel story, the character gets aspirational. Gabriel wants to become a great protector and a savior of wayward souls.

The Surprising Turn: Reeves as a Human

So, he reveals himself to down-and-out handyman Arj (played by Aziz Ansari), who's residing out of a vehicle and resenting his life. Gabriel proceeds to swaps Arj with the life of stupidly wealthy tech mogul Jeff (acted by the comedian). This idea of the experiment was for Arj to realize the wealthy man's life has significant downsides, and gratefully return to his own life, similar to the character in the classic film.

Issue was, Arj immediately realizes that the mogul's problems (tedious appointments, expensive heating bill) prove minor and readily resolved with wealth. He also sees that being rich opens up endless chances for pleasurable fun. He has zero desire in returning to his previous life, and Gabriel can't force him to return. Subsequently, additional bad news comes: Because of overstepping his duties and disrupting the balance of existence, Gabriel loses his position from his celestial role, and transformed to a human being.

The Discovery: Keanu Reeves Grins

I was not persuaded by the actor as an celestial being with grand aspirations and an intense wish to effect change. Reeves turns in a familiar vaguely stiff acting he has been providing for at least the last 3 decades. Viewing Reeves as an angel that has just turned mortal for the first time, however, proved to be highly entertaining, for a reason which really astonished me initially: It's something different for Reeves. Or more accurately, an aspect from the past.

Soon into his baffling experience being a mortal, staying with the wealthy character (whom Gabriel exchanged with the handyman's precarious life and underemployed situation), the character starts tentatively trying out human experiences like eating and swallowing food. Then Reeves smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, happily beams. (This is far more believable than his grin on the promotional image, that looks artificially added.)

The Reason That Smile Matters

It really surprised me to recognize how surprising and welcome that expression was. At what point was the last time audiences observed the actor grin in a film where he was not expressing malice, sarcasm, or resentment? The actor likely tries a smile somewhere in the recent ill-conceived the sequel, but I am not going to returning to that mess to confirm. Reeves has remained typecast with grim, violent, introspective, or just solemn roles for so long that merely seeing Reeves smile seemed like seeing an entirely new actor.

As the story progresses, Gabriel finds himself needing to get a kitchen position, which doesn't pay sufficient for survival, and Gabriel starts chain-smoking due to frustration. Just the image of Reeves in a cheap plastic restaurant cap, his recent signature long hair tied in an unglamorous ponytail, leaning against a building and puffing on a smoke, is worth the price of admission. His kitchen worker getup completely alters his face and body: Unexpectedly, the lean, suited physical powerhouse of his famous films is gawky, unglamorous, and much more relatable.

A Pleasure of Viewing Reeves Relax

Good Fortune is not consistently fun to view, particularly when Ansari (who also wrote the script) has to find plausible reasons for {Ar