Good Fortune Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Good Fortune Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 13, 2025

In one of the supplements on this disc Aziz Ansari overtly mentions another alliterative filmmaker, Wim Wenders, and Wenders' well remembered Wings of Desire as having helped at least spark the idea behind Good Fortune, and there are in fact several moments with this film's focal angel which at least visually may bring to mind the Bruno Ganz outing. However, in terms of plot machinations and general sensibility a couple of less ostensibly hoity toity referents may be salient. Trading Places might be the most apparent of these outside connections, since this film, much like that one, posits an insanely rich person who suddenly, well, trades places with a down on his luck schlub. However, in terms of offering a bumbling angel who is trying desperately to improve his lot in the afterlife, while It's a Wonderful Life might understandably instantly seem relevant, I'd actually suggest a very little remembered episode from an unlikely source, namely Rod Serling's immortal The Twilight Zone: Season 3. Originally broadcast on May 25, 1962, Cavender is Coming was the only episode in the multiyear broadcast history of Serling's historic series to feature a laugh track, certainly not something most would associate with the show, but that was because Serling was trying to shoehorn in a so-called "back door pilot" for a series which would have featured Jesse White as a hapless angel trying to earn his wings by helping (in this case) a down on her luck schlub (played by none other than Carol Burnett).

Arj (Aziz Ansari) is a victim of the so-called "gig economy", manically traversing a whirlwind of part time jobs to try to make ends meet, which he is failing spectacularly to do, sleeping in his car in mall parking lots as a result. He has a "chance" encounter with low level angel Gabriel* (Keanu Reeves), whose main task is to keep stupid drivers from killing themselves when they're texting while behind the wheel. In a series of kind of silly developments, Gabriel decides to move up the angelic ranks by offering a different kind of aid to Arj, something that is evidently strictly forbidden in whatever Code of Conduct angels are required to subscribe to. That ends up with Gabriel facilitating a switcheroo between Arj and wealthy tech bro Jeff (Seth Rogen), though it's not a Freaky Friday type of situation, but instead a simple gambit whereby Arj gets to experience Jeff's high-falutin' lifestyle while Jeff, initially deprived of his memories in the process, is now the down on his luck schlub.

There's frankly nothing very innovative about any of this, but Ansari's writing is often enjoyable and Keanu Reeves' unexpectedly deadpan delivery of lines that seem to be spoken by an angel on the spectrum give the film a certain comedic momentum in the early going. However, Ansari does something at least a bit surprising when Gabriel's machinations end up getting him banished from the angelic realms and he's consigned to live an actual human life (again?). Suffice it to say his lot is more in line with Jeff's new and definitely unimproved situation than with Arj's sudden upward mobility. Cameos by the likes of supposed angels Sandra Oh and Stephen McKinley Henderson add little to the proceedings, and in fact the first gaggle of angels together pretty much brings things to a screeching halt with on screen subtitles identifying them and their ostensible "niches" in the angelic realms.

More predictable content comes courtesy of a would be girlfriend for Arj named Elena (Kiki Palmer), who is the veritable Norma Rae at one of the places Arj originally works, and who of course is there to caution Arj about the supposed dangers of instant wealth. That part of the film probably will fall flat for many, whereas Gabriel's assertion that he wanted to teach Arj a lesson that money won't solve all of his problems, only to discover that indeed money solved most of Arj's problems may well strike audiences as being considerably funnier.

*As someone whose oldest son is named Gabriel, I feel duty bound to share that of course the actual religious history places Gabriel near if not at the top of the angelic echelons.

Good Fortune Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Good Fortune is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa 35 and a 4K DI as relevant data points. While Lionsgate is also releasing this in 4K, the 1080 visuals may well be excellent enough to suffice for many videophiles since the basic setting of the film is "everyday" despite its supernatural overtones. Detail levels are consistently impressive throughout, with everything from fabrics on costumes to ornately filigreed angel wings offering precise textures and patterns. The palette is kind of curiously tamped down a lot of the time, especially given the brightly lit outdoor Los Angeles settings that predominate, but it looks natural if not especially vivid. Some unusual lighting choices (see screenshot 2) offer a bit of interest along the way. Digital grain is quite heavy, but in that regard is probably a bit more subliminal at this resolution and without HDR than in the 4K presentation.

Good Fortune Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Good Fortune features a fun Dolby Atmos track that probably gets the most noticeable surround activity out of a pretty relentless assortment of source cues that dot the soundtrack. Several outdoor scenes, including some charming food cart moments with Arj and Elena, as well as a bunch of backyard material at Jeff's cliffside mansion provide good engagement of the surround channels for ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Good Fortune Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Producer, Writer, Director Aziz Ansari and Producer Alan Yang


• Life Swap - Making Good Fortune (HD; 14:37) is a decent EPK with some fun interviews.


• The Los Angeles of Good Fortune (HD; 12:24) focuses on the location shooting.


• The Clothes Make the Man. . .And the Angel (HD; 6:15) looks at costume (and wing) design.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:23)

A digital copy is included.

Good Fortune Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Good Fortune never quite gets to consistent comedic gold, but there's a lot to enjoy, perhaps a little unexpectedly mostly due to a wonderfully understated performance by Keanu Reeves. Technical merits are solid and the supplements appealing, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.