A film can be about anything.  There are happy and sad films, boring and exciting films, fun and scary films, etc.  The ones that speak to my heart the most are the happy ones.  God wants us to have joy.  He wants us to have hope.  He wants us to be happy.  However, He also knows that life is not always going to allow us to experience all those good things.  There will be struggle.  Sadly, many people know that God desires the happiness I already discussed, and think of this sentiment as nothing but a useless platitude.  God being invested in your life means little to the person being evicted from their home or losing their job, or both.  In these moments, it is difficult to remember that there is a God who is the embodiment of love and cares for you.  Instead, we lose hope, and in doing so we lose God, though He never forgets you.  These are themes that the vast majority of us can relate to, and it is why I love today’s movie, Good Fortune.

What Arj (Aziz Ansari) would love is some Good Fortune.  He works a number of jobs to make ends meet, mostly for a service that gets him part time work in a number of places.  He fills shifts at the local corporate hardware store, he delivers food, and does anything else he can to make money.  However, it never seems to bring him enough money, which he equates to happiness.  He cannot be blamed for this attitude.  In addition to living in his car, and showering at a gym, he is often reminded by his father, Saleem (Shoukath Ansari), about how successful is his cousin.  Observing all of Ari’s struggles is Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), a sort of guardian angel with a specific function.  His mission is to protect people from wrecking when they text and drive.  He becomes invested in Arj, wanting to do more for the deliveryman.  Gabriel brings up his request at the next angel’s meeting with his boss, Martha (Sandra Oh), particularly after being inspired by all the good work being done by his fellow divine being, Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson).  However, Martha points out that Garbiel has a certain function and that he should stick to it.  Besides, it appears that Arj has things turned around when he meets technology entrepreneur Jeff (Seth Rogen).  Arj is called upon to organize Jeff’s garage.  Once the task is complete, they talk a little more and Arj pitches the idea to become Jeff’s new assistant.  Jeff is impressed by Arj’s initiative and agrees to a week-long trial.  So admirably does Arj perform that Jeff entrusts his new employee with a company credit card.  Arj is feeling emboldened by his new position and finally asks Elena (Keke Palmer), an occasional hardware store co-worker, to go on a date with him.  They go to a restaurant suggested by Jeff, and the night is proceeding swimmingly until the bill arrives.  It is a lot more than he expects.  Because he insists on paying the whole tab, he decides to charge it to the company.  The next day, upon getting to Jeff’s house, Arj is called out on the expense.  Despite vowing to pay it back, Arj is promptly fired.  Further, he is told that while he had been employed by Jeff, his position with the delivery service had been terminated.  Depressed, he falls asleep at a Denny’s only to be awakened by an annoyed server who asks him to vacate the premises.  Yet, Arj cannot leave because his car has been towed.  Watching this as always is Gabriel.  Seeing Arj as a lost soul, Gabriel reveals himself as an angel.  To demonstrate his legitimacy, and to try to provide Arj some hope, Gabriel gives Arj a vision.  In it, Arj works a number of low wage positions.  He is with Elena, but they make little money between them, and their future dog dies.  Once back to reality, Gabriel has trouble understanding why seeing these things does not make Arj feel better.  Finally, it occurs to Gabriel that Arj wants Jeff’s life.  Hence, with a touch, Gabriel switches Arj and Jeff.  Now, Arj has the expensive car and house and all the trappings of wealth, and Jeff is his assistant as well as doing all the other menial work.  Once Martha learns of this action, she takes Gabriel’s wings until he can convince Arj to call off the deal.  He brings up this turn of events with Arj, but Arj remains disinclined to switch again, which is not what Gabriel had hoped would happen.  Instead, Gabriel thought Arj would see how good was his real life after a week being another person.  Arj had even rekindled a relationship with Elena, which needed to be done since in this reality they had not known each other.  What gets Arj to realize the mistake he has made is when Gabriel touches Jeff, which makes the former wealthy person remember that he is not a low wage worker.  As soon as Jeff realizes what is going on, he demands that things are returned to normal.  Though Arj has no desire to do so, he gets Jeff to agree to let the usurper have a few more days.  Grabriel allows this to happen, but Martha is not satisfied, downgrading him to human until the problem is solved.  Problems arise for Arj and Jeff.  Arj asks Elena to come to Paris with him to celebrate his last weekend as a wealthy person, though he does not tell her what is actually behind his invitation.  She refuses, citing an upcoming attempt at forming a union with the hardware store workers.  As for Jeff, he allows Gabriel to stay with him, but it becomes apparent that they both need employment in order to stay in the hotel room in which they have been living.  Their efforts are for naught, and they are forced to sleep in the car.  This continues even after Gabriel gets a job.  Yet, as before, the vehicle is towed when Jeff cannot pay the parking tickets.  In order to obtain the money to get the car out of hoc, he decides he is going to steal watches from his house.  The day they pick is the day of his birthday, and Arj is having the party Jeff had planned.  All the same, Jeff waits until things have died down to sneak into his bedroom.  He is stopped when a panicked Arj uses the gun to shoot Jeff in the arm.  In the hospital, Arj finally agrees to swap lives again, but Gabriel says it is not that simple.  Arj must have hope for his own prospects rather than just doing a favor because he feels guilty.  It is while hanging out with Gabriel and Jeff, and seeing Gabriel despairing of ever being an angel again, that Arj comes to understand that nothing in life is bad enough to give up on living.  With that, everyone is returned to their original stations and are able to implement some changes from what they have learned.

It is also time for you to learn some Catholic theology regarding angels and how that differs from what is depicted in Good Fortune.  I also hope this does not come off as too much of a criticism as I dearly loved the film.  What is interesting, and somewhat maddening, is how films often cherry pick Catholic teaching on these subjects.  Rather, they make up their own rules instead of being completely faithful to the source material, if you will accept the expression.  On this note, the biggest variation is the concept of guardian angels.  While a few other Christian sects, mainly those who most resemble Catholicism, believe in these personal divine beings, I have not heard of them being assigned to specific functions.  There are saints with patronages, such as St. Anthony of Padua being the one you ask for an intercession when it comes to a lost item.  Thus, having Gabriel being present just to keep people safe who text and drive is a bit silly.  I would not go so far as to call it sacrilege, but I can also see why he would want to do more.  What is good about the film on this subject is how angels can help guide us as to God’s will.  They are His representatives, and they are a reflection of His love for us.  All the same, I wonder what people think of Gabriel becoming human?  While the process has no theological basis of which I am aware, the Bible does have an example of an angel appearing in a recognizable form and directly intervening in a person’s life, albeit at God’s direction.  In the book of Tobit, the archangel Raphael becomes Azariah, a servant for Tobit’s son, Tobiah.  As Azariah, Raphael guides Tobiah as the young man journeys to retrieve money for his father and marry a kinswoman.  There are echoes of this in what Gabriel does for Arj and Jeff.  Finally, there is some irony in the fact that this is Gabriel who is involved.  He is not identified as an archangel as Catholics would, but the irony is found in his job of protecting people who text and drive.  It involves messaging, and it was Gabriel who announced to Joseph and Mary that they are to be the Earthly parents of Jesus.  Our cinematic Gabriel is not identified as the same angel, but I am willing to bet that those who made the film thought about this connection.

Another connection I wondered about is whether anyone thought while making Good Fortune of its similarities with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (1843)?  It is not accurate to call Good Fortune a rip off, but Arj and Jeff are treated to visions from a divine being in Gabriel as to what their lives could be like as happens in the famous play.  In this manner, it is Jeff who most resembles Ebeneezer Scrooge, as the modern version goes to his company and eschews the board’s request that they downsize and pay their employees less.  What is important from a Catholic perspective is that they learn about hope.  The only downside of the film is that, despite intervention from on high, something even the sternest atheist prays for in a moment of desperation, they do not appear to believe in God in the end.  They return to their lives better people for their experiences, and that is worth something.  Still, I wonder how many would act any differently if their guardian angel did something similar for them?  This hypothetical is not without a Biblical basis.  Throughout the Bible, there are instances of God doing extraordinary things for humanity and, because of their hardness of heart, they will not believe.  Nonetheless, it is a miracle that hope is restored in Arj and Jeff.  There is a pro-life tone to this, especially with Arj.  Early on, Gabriel notices that Arj is about to give up.  Arj is at his lowest when his car is towed, which is when Gabriel labels him as a lost soul and intervenes.  Because Gabriel sees a bigger picture than can Arj, thinking that by giving Arj Jeff’s life, Arj will see that the grass is not always greener, as the saying goes.  What Gabriel does not understand is that us humans rarely see past what is right in front of us.  In a Christian context, this is not necessarily bad because it forces us to rely more on God.  When we do not have God in our lives, we can wallow in our happiness or misery depending on our circumstances.  Gabriel provides a wider view for Arj and Jeff, and they are better for it.  God offers all of us the same deal without the need for messy life swaps.

What is not messy is Good Fortune.  There is a lot of swearing, and one scene where somebody declares they are going to do something sexually explicit to Gabriel.  Otherwise, it is a great film that could almost benefit any audience, if some of it could be cleaned up.  Regardless, this might be my pick for best film of the year.