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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the fantasy comedy by actor the director, has been struggling in theaters. Many factors may account for its performance: Its generic title fails to convey the movie's unique charm. Its script is often moralizing and heavy-handed regarding the messages. The acting are uninspired and presentational, like the actors were reciting lines directly from the page. And, it arrives during an era of financial uncertainty and disparity, which could make audiences less open to a story that implies rich individuals have every advantages while the poor have spirit.

But, here's where the movie stands out: The film is unique, daring, creative, often funny, and undoubtedly timely. And, it provides a great Keanu Reeves hangout movie.

Keanu Reeves as an Guardian: A Familiar Performance

Personally, I've never regarded Keanu Reeves a good performer. His flat delivery and persistent look of slight perturbation have consistently seemed one-note, despite his wide range of characters he's played during the past four decades of his career. Astute filmmakers have often placed Reeves in roles in which his rigidity works ideally, from his early work to The Matrix to John Wick. But nearly every one of those roles called for him to seem hardened, distant, and removed.

Throughout the film, Reeves plays an angel, one low-level guardian celestial being assigned with watching over people who use their phones while behind the wheel. The character's entire job involves sitting in his vehicles and lightly touching the drivers' shoulders as they are close to crash, alerting them in order that the driver stop before impact. But, when positioned overlooking his domain, looking down on humanity similar to an alternative interpretation of a celestial figure from the director's renowned movie Wings of Desire, the character becomes aspirational. He desires to be an exceptional guardian and a savior of lost souls.

A Surprising Shift: Keanu as a Human

Therefore, Gabriel reveals himself to struggling handyman a character (portrayed by the director), who is living out of a vehicle and resenting his life. Gabriel then exchanges Arj into the existence of stupidly rich tech mogul a character (played by Seth Rogen). This point of the exercise was that the character to realize the wealthy man's existence comes with major downsides, and gratefully go back to his own circumstances, similar to a figure from It's a Wonderful Life.

Issue was, the character right away discovers how the mogul's problems (boring meetings, expensive pool-heater bill) prove negligible and easily solved using wealth. He further realizes how becoming rich opens up endless chances for pleasurable fun. The character has no desire in going back to his previous situation, and Gabriel can't compel him to go back. Then, additional trouble arrives: Because of exceeding his mandate and messing with the order of existence, the character loses his position as an angel job, and turned into a human being.

A Discovery: Keanu Reeves Smiles

Personally, I remained not persuaded by Reeves playing an celestial being who has grand dreams and an intense desire to effect change. Reeves turns in the same somewhat constipated acting he's consistently providing for no less than the past 3 decades. Viewing Reeves as an celestial being who's just turned mortal initially, on the other hand, proved to be highly entertaining, due to something that truly astonished me at first: This is an element new for the actor. Or more accurately, an aspect old.

Early during the character's baffling experience as a human, staying with the wealthy character (who the angel had swapped into the handyman's hand-to-mouth existence and underemployed situation), the character starts hesitantly experimenting with everyday experiences such as eating and consuming meals. And Reeves grins. Authentically, cautiously, happily beams. (It's far much believable than the smile on the poster, which looks artificially added.)

Why That Grin Matters

The moment really surprised me to realize just how unexpected and welcome that expression was. At what point was the last time audiences saw Keanu Reeves grin in a film in which he was not showing ill will, irony, or resentment? The actor likely attempts a smile somewhere in 2020's ill-conceived the sequel, however I am not revisiting that disappointment to confirm. The actor has remained stuck with serious, murderous, introspective, or simply serious roles for so long that merely seeing Reeves grin felt like seeing an entirely different actor.

While the story progresses, Gabriel ends up needing to take a kitchen job, a role that fails to provide sufficient to live on, and Gabriel starts smoking heavily out of disappointment. Just the image of Reeves in a disposable paper food-service hat, his late-career trademark locks pulled back in an unglamorous bun, slouching on a building and puffing on a cigarette, proves worth watching. His dishwasher attire completely alters his appearance and posture: Suddenly, the slim, suited action star of his famous movies is awkward, ordinary, and a lot increasingly human.

The Pleasure of Viewing Keanu Relax

Good Fortune isn't consistently enjoyable to watch, especially when the director (who additionally wrote the screenplay) must find believable reasons for {Ar