Good Fortune

If you’re looking for a hard-hitting satire about income inequality and corporate greed, then Good Fortune might miss the mark.

However, this exaggerated class comedy from comedian and first-time filmmaker Aziz Ansari is slight but amusing as it scrutinizes the transactional and impersonal nature of the gig economy.

This quirky saga of big dreamers spanning heaven and Earth is a heartfelt blue-collar underdog story that tweaks wealth and privilege with the help of a strong cast.

“The American Dream is dead,” laments Arj (Ansari), who takes jobs ranging from waiting in line to cleaning out garages, all while sleeping in his car and struggling to scrape by.

His latest project takes him to a Bel Air mansion belonging to Jeff (Seth Rogen), a wealthy venture capitalist who relishes the luxury lifestyle. As quickly as Arj earns Jeff’s trust to become his personal assistant, he loses it when he uses Jeff’s corporate card to pay for dinner to impress a hardware-store colleague (Keke Palmer).

That takes Arj back to square one, when he’s visited by Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), a fledgling angel who has been relegated to saving texting drivers but dreams of earning a bigger set of wings. “I did everything I was supposed to do and nothing’s working out,” Arj explains.

Gabriel hatches a misguided scheme to solve Arj’s dilemma — giving Arj a chance to live in Jeff’s shoes for a few days. Then all will be forgiven, Gabriel figures, and everybody wins. But it backfires with unintended consequences for all three.

Arj’s annoyances are common — bad tippers, podcasts overrun with ads, aggressive parking-lot enforcers — and his gripes are relatable enough to generate a rooting interest in his plight.

Feeling like a variation on familiar concepts dating back decades, Ansari’s uneven screenplay emphasizes broad laughs over deeper subtext, and its best moments keep the mood light rather than straining for sentimental payoffs.

This debut flashes potential as a cinematic storyteller. Plus, it promotes optimism over cynicism while conveying obvious lessons about money not buying happiness, showing compassion for outsiders, and appreciating the little things in life.

Too often resembling a sitcom pilot stretched to feature length, Good Fortune nevertheless strikes a winning balance between silly and sincere.

Rated R, 98 minutes.