‘Good Fortune’ Review: Aziz Ansari’s Directorial Debut Delivers Laughs But Stumbles On Landing

After years of delays and setbacks—including the suspension of his first planned directorial effort “Being Mortal” in 2022—Aziz Ansari has finally arrived behind the camera with “Good Fortune,” a body-swap comedy that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and hits theaters October 17. 

The film, which stars Ansari alongside Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen, attempts to marry high-concept supernatural comedy with pointed social commentary about America’s widening wealth gap. Critics largely agree: it’s funny, charming, and well-intentioned, but doesn’t quite stick the landing.

“Good Fortune” follows Gabriel (Reeves), described as a “budget guardian angel” whose primary duties include preventing people from texting while driving. Growing restless with his low-level celestial work, Gabriel decides to intervene in the life of Arj (Ansari), a struggling documentary editor turned TaskRabbit worker who barely makes ends meet while running errands for wealthy Angelenos.

When Gabriel botches an attempt to teach Arj that money doesn’t solve all problems—by swapping his body with Jeff (Rogen), a privileged venture capitalist—the angel loses his wings and becomes human. What follows is a comedic exploration of class inequality as Jeff learns to survive gig work while Arj enjoys the spoils of wealth, with the newly mortal Gabriel navigating the harsh realities of human existence.

The cast also includes Keke Palmer as Elena, Arj’s love interest and aspiring union organizer, and Sandra Oh as Martha, an angel who strips Gabriel of his wings.

The Verdict: Funny, but Narratively Flat

With an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Good Fortune” has earned generally positive reviews, though critics consistently note significant flaws beneath its comedic surface.

Roger Ebert’s Brian Tallerico praises the film’s empathy but identifies structural issues: “It feels like Ansari came up with a great idea before really figuring out where he was going to take it,” he writes. While noting that “there is a copious amount of empathy throughout ‘Good Fortune,'” Tallerico adds that “the final scenes feel a bit too soft for a movie that’s really about pretty hard stuff.”

Variety’s Peter Debruge offers measured praise, acknowledging Ansari’s ambitions while tempering expectations: “The comedian might not be this generation’s Frank Capra, but it’s still nice to see a celebrity who recognizes what normal folks are going through and uses his platform to address it.”

IndieWire’s Kate Erbland delivers one of the sharper critiques, arguing the film’s treatment of economic inequality feels hollow: “The gig work humor and tech-bro satire appear to punch up at unfettered capitalism but actually punch down at the millions of workers whose problems won’t be solved by the end of the 98-minute running time.” She contends that “‘Good Fortune’ is less about satirizing power than commodifying real struggles.”

The critical consensus suggests “Good Fortune” succeeds as a crowd-pleasing comedy anchored by stellar performances, particularly from Reeves, but struggles to deliver meaningful insights about the economic inequality it seeks to address.

The A.V. Club’s Tim Grierson echoes these concerns about the film’s solutions: “Good Fortune diagnoses this country’s crippling economic inequality, but when it stumbles toward a possible solution—at least for the likes of Arj and Elena—the conclusions are painfully, almost insultingly naïve.”

Keanu Steals the Show

Despite narrative shortcomings, critics universally praise the performances, particularly Reeves’ turn as Gabriel.

Tallerico writes that “the movie is really stolen by Reeves,” noting: “Watching the puppy dog countenance of Reeves go from angelic to toughened by the world is a joy.” The critic highlights memorable moments like Gabriel trying a cheeseburger and milkshake for the first time and becoming a chain-smoking dishwasher.

Flickering Myth’s Robert Kojder praises how “Keanu Reeves crushes” the role, “putting on some of that lovable, dimwitted Bill & Ted energy.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen, summarized by Gold Derby, describes it as Reeves’ “delightful turn” as an angel.

Ansari and Rogen also receive praise for their comedic chemistry. Tallerico notes that “Ansari wrote himself a role that feels of a piece with his characters on ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘Master of None,’ and his comic timing is still strong.” Rogen is praised as “funny as a silver-spooned, privileged elite who has never had to do real work a day in his life.”

The Comedy Lands, Even When the Message Doesn’t

Multiple reviewers acknowledge that “Good Fortune” succeeds as pure entertainment, even when its social commentary falters.

IndieWire notes the film has “plenty of jokes” and describes scenes like Arj botching a cinnamon bun shop errand and “in a hilarious early scene, crush[ing] a child’s dream of becoming an archaeologist with a fatalistic speech about adulthood.”

Flickering Myth calls it “A hysterical comedy for anyone who has rolled their eyes and wanted to strangle a well-meaning individual for remarking that wealth won’t solve all their problems.” The review adds: “The outstandingly funny performances from all involved, along with spirited banter, are also enough to overlook the heavy-handed and overstated messaging.”

Punch Drunk Critics notes that Ansari “does something that’s increasingly rare with this film and that’s to deliver big laughs, wry observations, and hopefulness in equal measure.”

Several critics identify the film’s inability to balance comedy with its serious themes as a central problem.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Rechtshaffen, according to Gold Derby, calls it an “alternately fun and clunky satire,” noting: “the end result can’t escape feeling like a hodgepodge, incapable of cohesively blending the satirical elements with the earnest messaging foremost on its mind.”

The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager writes that “Ansari’s script is too light on sharp one-liners,” adding that “the dialogue frequently lacks bite, and in its final stages, it gets preachy to a borderline-egregious degree.”

Matthew Creith at The Wrap observes: “Some outstanding comedy offerings are overshadowed by a few unfortunate B-plots that ultimately fall flat.”

The Bottom Line: Well-Intentioned but Simplistic

The critical consensus suggests “Good Fortune” succeeds as a crowd-pleasing comedy anchored by stellar performances, particularly from Reeves, but struggles to deliver meaningful insights about the economic inequality it seeks to address.

Punch Drunk Critics perhaps best captures the film’s appeal and limitations: “The solutions Ansari offers are pretty simple, and that could rub the wrong way those who are suffering real hardships. The goal isn’t to aspire to be like Jeff, but to find what happiness means to you and then fight to keep it.”

Variety’s assessment feels appropriate: While “it’s fairly obvious where ‘Good Fortune’ is headed, Ansari manages to surprise in how he gets there,” and ultimately “it’s that very connection to overworked, undercompensated Americans that makes his movie so right for this moment.”

For audiences seeking laughs and a feel-good experience featuring three charismatic leads, “Good Fortune” delivers. For those hoping for substantive commentary on America’s wealth gap or a Frank Capra-esque social fable for modern times, the film may feel like a missed opportunity—charming and well-intentioned, but ultimately too light to carry the weight of its ambitions.

“Good Fortune” opens in theaters nationwide on October 17, 2025, distributed by Lionsgate Films.

This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.