Let Keanu Reeves Smile More: An Exploration at His Role in the New Film
Good Fortune, this fantasy film from actor the director, is struggling in theaters. Many factors may account for the film's reception: Its generic name fails to convey the movie's distinctive charm. Its screenplay can be preachy and obvious regarding its themes. The performances are flat and staged, as if the actors were reciting dialogue directly from the page. And, it arrives at a time marked by financial uncertainty and inequality, which may make audiences not very receptive to a story that implies wealthy people have every advantages while those in need possess heart.
However, this is what the movie excels: It's unique, bold, imaginative, often funny, and certainly relevant. Plus, it provides a great the actor character-driven experience.
Reeves as an Guardian: A Familiar Portrayal
Personally, I've never considered Keanu Reeves to be a good actor. The actor's flat delivery and consistent expression of mild perturbation have consistently felt one-note, despite his broad variety of characters he's taken on during the last four decades years. Astute directors have often cast Reeves in roles in which that stoic nature works ideally, from his early work to the sci-fi classic to the action series. But almost all of these characters called for Reeves to appear hardened, distant, and removed.
Throughout Good Fortune, the actor plays an angel, one minor protecting angel tasked with looking after individuals who text when behind the wheel. The character's whole job involves remaining in his vehicles and lightly touching their shoulders as they are about to crash, warning the person so the driver brake in time. However, when standing high above the city, gazing upon humanity like a interpretation of a celestial figure in the director's classic film Wings of Desire, Gabriel gets aspirational. Gabriel desires to be an exceptional guardian and a savior of lost individuals.
A Surprising Turn: Keanu as a Human
Therefore, he reveals his presence to struggling handyman a character (played by Aziz Ansari), who's residing out of a vehicle and cursing his situation. The angel proceeds to exchanges the man into the existence of extremely rich tech mogul a character (acted by Seth Rogen). This point behind the experiment was that the character would realize Jeff's existence comes with major downsides, and gratefully go back to his original circumstances, much like the character in It's a Wonderful Life.
Issue was, Arj immediately discovers that the mogul's problems (boring meetings, a pricey heating bill) prove negligible and easily resolved using wealth. Arj further realizes that becoming affluent opens up limitless chances for pleasurable enjoyment. He shows zero desire in going back to his own situation, and Gabriel is unable to force him to go back. Then, additional trouble comes: For overstepping his duties and messing with the order of the world, Gabriel loses his position as an celestial job, and turned into a human being.
The Discovery: Keanu Reeves Grins
Personally, I remained not persuaded by Reeves playing an angel with big dreams and an intense wish to effect change. He delivers a familiar vaguely stiff acting he's been offering for at least the past three ten-year periods. Watching him as an angel who's recently become human for the first time, on the other hand, proved to be highly entertaining, for a reason which really surprised viewers at first: This is something new for the actor. Or to be precise, an aspect old.
Early into his confusing career being a human, staying with the wealthy character (who Gabriel exchanged into the handyman's hand-to-mouth existence and jobless situation), Gabriel starts hesitantly trying out everyday experiences such as eating and swallowing meals. Then Reeves grins. Genuinely, cautiously, happily smiles. (This is far more believable than his grin shown in the promotional image, which appears artificially added.)
The Reason This Smile Is Significant
The moment truly took me aback to realize how unexpected and refreshing the expression felt. When was the last time we observed the actor grin in a film in which he was not expressing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? The actor probably attempts a smile at some point in 2020's misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I'm not going to revisiting that disappointment to find out. Reeves has remained stuck with serious, violent, broody, or just solemn characters for such a duration that just watching him smile seemed like seeing an entirely different performer.
While the story progresses, Gabriel finds himself having to take a dishwashing position, which fails to provide enough for survival, and Gabriel begins chain-smoking due to frustration. Simply the image of Reeves in a cheap plastic restaurant cap, his late-career trademark long hair tied in an unglamorous bun, leaning on a wall and smoking a cigarette, proves worth watching. The kitchen worker attire completely alters his face and body: Suddenly, the lean, well-dressed action star of his famous films is awkward, unglamorous, and much increasingly relatable.
A Joy of Viewing Keanu Relax
Good Fortune is not always fun to watch, particularly when the director (who additionally wrote the script) has to create plausible reasons for {Ar