Keanu Reeves' Guardian Angel Causes Seth Rogen's Tech Entrepreneur and Aziz Ansari's Gig Worker to Switch Lives in a Stroke of Luck (Trailer)

      The trailer for Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune features the actor-comedian as a food-delivery driver who swaps lives with a tech entrepreneur portrayed by Seth Rogen, under the guidance of a gloomy angel named Gabriel, played by Keanu Reeves.

      This film, penned and directed by Ansari, merges several classic movie narratives into a contemporary critique of today’s economy: those at the top bask in luxury and enjoy food deliveries at lavish estates, while the individuals responsible for delivering that food grapple with daily survival.

      To illustrate to Ansari’s character, Arj, that wealth does not equate to happiness, Gabriel orchestrates a life switch with tech mogul Jeff.

      “I aimed to show him that being rich wouldn’t eliminate all his issues,” Gabriel informs another angel, played by Sandra Oh.

      “And?” she inquires.

      “It appears to have addressed most of his problems.”

      Gabriel faces his own challenges: his primary responsibility is to prevent people from texting while driving, and he admits to being viewed as a sort of “budget guardian angel.”

      Keke Palmer plays a woman employed at a big-box retailer who tells Ansari’s Ari: “You’re up here in this massive house. I’m just trying to get by.”

      “You’d never believe me,” he replies. “But I’ve been there.”

      Indeed, this is yet another film where a Hollywood millionaire connects with the everyday person. However, it brings humor to the scenario and wisely acknowledges, similar to the 1983 film Trading Places, that wealth can often depend on luck and having the right parents.

      “I rose from nothing! I built myself!” Rogen’s Jeff asserts at one point, only to reveal that his father was an orthopedic surgeon.

      In addition to parallels with Trading Places, the film contains elements reminiscent of classic angel movies like It’s a Wonderful Life and Wings of Desire. However, it also incorporates a refreshing level of absurdity, particularly evident in Reeves’ hilariously dry delivery.

      Background on Good Fortune, featuring Keanu Reeves, Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer

      Aziz Ansari as Arj and Keanu Reeves as Gabriel in Good Fortune. Photo Credit: Eddy Chen. Courtesy of Lionsgate.

      Despite Good Fortune’s polished appearance, it had a complex path to becoming Ansari’s directorial debut.

      In 2022, Ansari, widely recognized as a standup comedian and one of the stars of NBC's long-running sitcom Parks & Recreation, was directing the film Being Mortal, adapted from Dr. Atul Gawande’s 2014 nonfiction work, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.

      However, production halted when Bill Murray, one of the film's stars, faced accusations of inappropriate behavior with a female crew member. This development prompted Ansari to shift focus to what he had originally planned as his next project, Good Fortune.

      The cast of Being Mortal also included Rogen and Palmer, who followed Ansari to the new film.

      Murray later stated that he was attempting to make a joke by kissing the crew member while both were wearing masks due to Covid protocols.

      “It was something I had previously done with someone else, and I found it amusing; it always was funny,” he told The New York Times. “I was masked, and I kissed her; she was masked too. I didn’t physically touch her, but I kissed her through the mask. And she wasn’t a stranger.”

      Main image: Keanu Reeves as Gabriel, Seth Rogen as Jeff, and Aziz Ansari as Ari in Good Fortune. Photo Credit: Eddy Chen. Courtesy of Lionsgate.