Good Fortune is a new supernatural comedy now playing in theaters. Written and directed by Aziz Ansari—marking his theatrical directorial debut—the film stars Ansari alongside Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, and Keanu Reeves. The story follows Gabriel, a well-meaning but inept angel who disrupts the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy capitalist.
I’ve been looking forward to this film for quite a while. It seems like Ansari faced plenty of hurdles getting it made, and even with the limited marketing I came across, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the plot. While it’s being positioned primarily as a comedy, I’d recommend going in with tempered expectations. The humor is there, but the film’s real strength lies in its themes—which end up resonating more than the laughs.
Aziz Ansari as Arj and Keanu Reeves as Gabriel in Good Fortune. Photo Credit: Eddy Chen
The film’s opening feels a bit awkward as it quickly jumps between multiple characters, but Ansari’s vision steadily comes into focus. From start to finish, this is a project that feels uniquely his—something I can’t imagine coming from anyone else. Having followed his work on Master of None, it’s clear that Ansari is carving out a distinctive voice. While he weaves humor throughout, his primary aim seems to be creating something emotionally resonant and relatable.
Good Fortune features a large ensemble cast, and with a tight 97-minute runtime, it mostly manages to balance them well. Still, it occasionally feels overstuffed as Ansari shifts between different perspectives. The standout here is Keanu Reeves, who delivers some of the film’s best lines with pitch-perfect comedic timing. His ability to slip between genres is genuinely impressive, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast is a highlight. I never expected to enjoy a Reeves-Rogen pairing this much—but it works surprisingly well.
Keanu Reeves as Gabriel and Sandra Oh as Martha in Good Fortune. Photo Credit: Eddy Chen
That said, the film might have been stronger if it had leaned more into Reeves’ perspective. While the story centers on three main characters, none are quite as compelling as his. The narrative also underuses Keke Palmer’s character. Though she plays a key role, the film misses an opportunity to make her more of a grounded, human presence—someone who could’ve helped guide Reeves’ character in understanding what it truly means to be human.
I tend to avoid watching trailers before seeing a film, and even with the bits of marketing I did catch, nothing really prepared me for how this story unfolds. It’s unpredictable and refreshingly unique. You can sense that Ansari is aiming to build something thematically rich—something that speaks directly to the working-class experience and offers a sense of being seen and understood.
Aziz Ansari as Ari and Keke Palmer as Elena in Good Fortune. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
The structure can feel uneven at times. While the humor is definitely present, this isn’t a non-stop laugh riot. Some of the comedic beats don’t quite land—like a sneeze that never fully comes out, the film often sets up a joke that doesn’t completely deliver. One example is a scene where Reeves’ character takes drugs for the first time, only to lie down quietly. Moments like that leave the comedy feeling a bit underwhelming.
By the end, I genuinely wanted to bump up my rating—the film sticks the landing when it comes to the themes, especially ones I personally care about. But the flaws remain. It’s unclear if the film needed less of Ansari as an actor or more of him as a director. As the credits rolled, I overheard other audience members saying how sweet the film was, and that’s exactly right. It’s sweet, it’s relatable, and it has heart. Still, it might not change the minds of those who most need to hear its message, and its offbeat pacing and uneven tone may not be for everyone.
Keanu Reeves as Gabriel, Seth Rogen as Jeff, and Aziz Ansari as Ari in Good Fortune. Photo Credit: Eddy Chen
Overall, Good Fortune is a solid directorial debut for Aziz Ansari, and hopefully, he takes the feedback to heart as he continues to grow as a filmmaker. While the film has its funny moments, it’s Keanu Reeves who truly stands out as the heart and soul of the story. The comedy doesn’t always hit its mark, but the film makes up for it with timely, relatable themes that leave a lasting impression.
Ballerina or From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, is a new film set in the John Wick franchise releasing in theaters this weekend. Directed by Len Wiseman & written by Shay Hatten, the film stars Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves. Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro, who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
As a fan of the franchise and of Ana de Armas, I was excited. The production issues this film faced did worry me. With mostly positive reviews, I went into this feeling hopeful. I was even bumping John Wick music on the way to the movie theater. I’m afraid I should have lowered my expectations even further, because I left disappointed.
It sucks when a film isn’t quite for you that everyone else is raving about. To be fair, I didn’t like John Wick: Chapter 2 on the first watch and I thought John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was good at best, but nothing extraordinary. On my latest rewatches of those two, my feelings changed for the better. I’m honestly not sure if I will feel the same way with this one. Even though I had a terrible viewing experience involving the guy next to me on his phone and the ceiling above me leaking water, I was still quite disappointed with the end result. I wasn’t expecting anything perfect, but I also wasn’t expecting…this.
The glowing positive aspect this film has going for it is Ana de Armas. She is exceptional in the lead role. She keeps the film alive with her charisma and energy. It’s no wonder she stole the spotlight in No Time to Die with the minimal runtime she had. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the action franchise starter she deserves. Much like how Keanu Reeves got to start his own franchise with these movies, it would be nice for Armas to be in something original that isn’t also trying to please the fans at the same time. There is a lot of conflict with the film wanting to be its own thing versus trying to connect with this universe.
The one thing I kept hearing from early reviews is that you go to these movies for the action and not the story. Okay, that’s true to an extent. The first film does a great job at introducing this universe that is able to expand as the franchise goes on. The problem here is that it is having to connect the dots in a timeline that doesn’t quite make much sense to me.
As we follow Eve (Armas) and learn her backstory, it is very generic. There is a solid action set piece that sets the stage for the amazing action choreography the film will have, but the script feels like it was regenerated and rushed. The opening scene makes Eve obsess over a ballerina glove that she goes on to obsess over for the next 12 years. It would be like if Wick obsessed over matches. The film could have explored the life she wanted through this device, but it instead comes off so unnatural and forced that makes it feel more cliche more than anything else. Don’t even get me started on the dialogue. Some of the roughest dialogue I have heard in an action film in quite some time. There is even a random twist in the middle involving Armas’ backstory that makes no sense at all and that part is even rushed.
The structure becomes more convoluted as it tries to fit between chapters 3 & 4. Honestly, I don’t understand why this couldn’t have been a prequel to the first movie where Wick could have trained Eve in the beginning. At least that would have been more interesting. Instead, what they do is shoehorn a plot involving Wick that doesn’t make much sense to the story or his character. It makes a little bit of sense, but with the arc he’s on during this time, I have a tough time buying he was content with this little side quest. The structure can also be quite rushed. I wouldn’t recommend going to the bathroom at any point as you may be confused how the film got to its given point.
We are reintroduced to characters that make it feel welcoming to return to this world. It’s nice to see Reeves return, especially with what we see from him later on. With a smaller screentime, it’s even better, and bittersweet, to see Lance Reddick one last time. Anjelica Huston & Ian McShane look like they are sleepwalking in roles that show too much comfort and not enough conviction.
Along with Ana de Armas, there are two other additional new faces added – Gabriel Byrne & Norman Reedus. I was really looking forward to their characters as I enjoy both actors’ talents. Byrne is effective in his TV show role, In Treatment. His dialogue and mannerisms in that show could have easily made him a cunning and intimidating villain here. Nope. I get the impression he didn’t want to be there, making him perhaps the weakest villain in this franchise so far. Reedus does a great job at hyping things up such as his role in the film. Take him out of the film and you lose absolutely nothing. His talents and his screen presence felt completely mismanaged as his role feels like it was added because he’s a likable actor, but he couldn’t stay around for too long due to his obligations towards The Walking Dead. Such wasted potential between these two actors.
Then, there is the action. That’s why people coming to these movies, right? It’s easy to get swept into the action. If that’s all you are looking for, then I can see anyone having a good time. There were plenty of action set pieces throughout that made me audibly gasp. The shock factor is there and it is still very satisfying. There are several moments that continue to push the boundaries of violence that this franchise is known for with iconic set pieces between a flamethrower fight scene and a grenade fight scene.
While these set pieces are still done well due to the choreography, I get the impression that the camera could care less. There are moments where the camera feels like an additional character, much like it did with the other films. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of time the camera just felt stationary and uninspired. What we are seeing on screen can be exciting, but I couldn’t always get into it due to where the camera is placed.
I’ve heard plenty of rumors about the production this film went through. I am not here to stay any of it is true. If it is, I can believe it. While director Len Wiseman has directed and been involved with TV projects, he hasn’t actually directed a film since 2012’s Total Recall. That’s 13 years, which is insane. It does feel like he is sometimes out of his depth in the drama. There are some action set pieces that are better than others that I think show were the reshoots came in to make them better. If this franchise wants to do well going forward though, it needs better direction to make the action feel like an actual John Wick movie, as well as make the story around it more emotionally compelling. The story here isn’t great, but it could have been even better if the right performances came out from some of the talent.
Overall, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a mixed bag. It’s far from horrible, but it’s also far from perfect. It’s right there in the middle for me. The ambition is there with some unique action set pieces and an incredible performance from Armas. The film just needed a better focus on its story while have a cohesive direction that helped make the action & drama flow better.
VERDICT: 2.5/5 (Okay)
I do also want to point how bad my theater experience was. Theater experiences don’t typically impact me as bad as this one did. It was a packed theater. The guy sitting next to me had his phone facing upwards so main screen would light up anytime he got a notification. It’s behavior like that that makes people not want to go to theaters anymore. I have just learned it’s best to not say anything. I’ve overheard people get into fights over it. At this point, you should know better.
The ceiling above me was also leaking water. I’ve gone to that theaters for years and never had that issue. It looks like the ceiling above me was broken and water from the AC kept leaking. Luckily, it wasn’t much and I had a jacket to block it, but it was still annoying dealing with random drips of water as I was just trying to enjoy a movie.
Wick is Pain is a new documentary about the true story behind the John Wick franchise, starring Keanu Reeves. Join Reeves, director Chad Stahelski, and the extended Wick cast and crew as they go behind the scenes of this billion-dollar franchise that almost never happened. The film also stars Basil Iwanyk, Tiger Chen, and Derek Kolstad.
When I initially heard about this being released, I didn’t expect it to be turned into a documentary I would be hearing about everywhere. Between Ballerina, a fifth John Wick in the works, and a Caine spinoff in the works, it makes sense why Lionsgate chose to release this as something big as this is perhaps one of their biggest properties at the moment. With the fourth movie being released two years ago now, I can’t say I was ready to go down memory lane nor did I feel like this is something that I needed to see, although with all the hype, I knew I would see it eventually. When a screening opportunity came my way with a small screening window, it felt like a great opportunity to finally check it out, and it did not disappoint.
I feel like this is something that that I may have said before. When it comes to documentaries, they are perhaps one of the toughest genres to critique. I typically don’t always see them being reviewed. Some may think documentaries are valid as long as the information is there; however, I’d argue that they need to prove its existence through giving us something to tell with something visually appealing. That’s exactly what this documentary does. Fans of the franchise like myself will find something to enjoy here as Lionsgate works on more entries to deliver to the fans. With four solid entries with perhaps a perfect conclusion with the fourth entry, there is a lot to enjoy with this documentary.
Many know about the financial and creative struggles this film endured in the beginning. I was personally surprised to see how a camera crew was able to capture these moments in real time. Under a different title and a little bit of a different plot, the film eventually found its leading man in Keanu Reeves. At the time, the actor just got done shooting movies that were not well received, resulting in a small amount of directors to pull from. Getting Chad Stahelski & David Leitch as directors pulled off a miracle for the film.
Having these two first-time directors pull off what I believe to be a perfect movie changed the game for action movies for the last decade. Even though Leitch went on to direct other projects afterward, Stahelski stayed behind, showing that he was more than fit to direct the incredible action set pieces this franchise is known for. Between the financial struggles the film faced in the beginning and dealing with a personal matter, I was blown away to learn what he did while filming the first movie. I would have liked to have seen the film lean more into his story more, but I will take it for what it is.
When Stahelski is first introduced, I was also not expecting the film to cover his beginnings as a stuntman and how he helped finish 1994’s The Crow. I have seen that film countless times. This film actually shows the scenes he helped stand in for and I don’t think I would have ever noticed. His work on other film also added an intriguing layer that I think made him a perfect fit for director. Even though Keanu Reeves endured a lot physically during production on these films in his 50’s, his trust for Stahelski shines through.
As the film captures the franchise’s humble beginning, it still manages to add a lot of information over its 2-hour runtime. It was nice going back through memory lane as I remember where I was every single time I saw a new John Wick movie. It was also interesting to hear the actor & director talk about how they wanted to end this franchise, showing how much love they have for the character and this world. It just makes me curious as to how the fifth film is going to get made now considering what we hear from the two.
The documentary also serves as a great tribute to the stunt work. Reeves is humble enough to know the stuntmen are playing the character as much as he is. There are scenes that provide more context as to what these stuntmen do, with one scene standing out the most due to how intense it was when I first saw it. It’s a true love letter to stuntmen in general as it is a love letter to this franchise.
Overall, Wick is Pain is a great addition to this franchise that adds more context, giving something to the fans as we await for the future of this franchise. With a 2-hour runtime, the film never wastes it time, providing as much intensity as the four entries itself. If you have the opportunity to check this out, I highly encourage you to do so.
The Creative Cinematic Collection 
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