A lot of folks might say Keanu Reeves is an angel of a human being. In the new comedy “Good Fortune,” he’s heavenly at playing both.
Aziz Ansari writes, directs and stars in the movie (in theaters Oct. 17) as Arj, a gig-economy worker in LA who’s been fired from his job, lives in his car and pretty much has had it with his life. Gabriel (Reeves), a guardian angel who keeps people from texting and driving, sees Arj’s struggle and goes beyond the scope of his own job to help him, swapping Arj’s life with that of super-wealthy tech bro Jeff (Seth Rogen).
Gabriel gives Arj a week of being rich, figuring he’ll see the misfortunes of having a fortune. But instead Arj refuses to go back, Jeff freaks out because someone else is living his life, and Gabriel gets canned, too. Which means having to be human, and he develops a chain-smoking habit while working as a dishwasher. However, Gabriel also gets to experience the wonders of being mortal, like eating burgers and chicken tenders for the first time.
“It’s a beautiful role and so fun to play to have that earnestness and light, and then go through the transition, and then come back,” Reeves said in a Q&A after the “Good Fortune” premiere on Sept. 6 at Toronto Film Festival.
Reeves, one of Toronto’s favorite sons, became an action-movie icon with “The Matrix” and “John Wick” series. Yet for Gabriel, he said Ansari wanted Reeves to return to his comedic roots.
“One day he was just like, ‘Sooo, do you remember ‘Bill and Ted’? I was like, ‘Yeah.’ You remember Tod from ‘Parenthood’? I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And he was like, ‘That guy,‘ ” Reeves said. “I was like, ‘Ohhh, OK, but then he also wanted this other part of (Gabriel) that, for me, I thought of as his ancientness.”
