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Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, the whimsical film by actor the director, is struggling at the box office. Several factors may explain its performance: Its generic title fails to convey its film's unique charm. Its script is often preachy and heavy-handed with the themes. The performances seem uninspired and staged, as if the actors are reading lines directly from the page. Moreover, it arrives at a time of economic uncertainty and inequality, which may render viewers less open to a narrative that implies rich people enjoy all the advantages while the poor possess heart.

However, here's where the movie stands out: It's unique, daring, creative, often humorous, and undoubtedly relevant. And, it offers a great Keanu Reeves character-driven movie.

Keanu Reeves in the role of Guardian: A Familiar Performance

I have never regarded Keanu Reeves to be a good actor. His monotonal delivery and consistent look of slight concern has consistently seemed one-note, regardless of the broad variety of characters he has taken on during the past four decades years. Smart directors have often placed him in parts where his stoic nature fits perfectly, from My Own Private Idaho to The Matrix to John Wick. Yet nearly all of these roles required him to seem tough, closed-off, and removed.

In the film, the actor portrays an angel, one low-level protecting angel tasked with watching over individuals who text when behind the wheel. The character's entire job involves remaining in his cars and lightly touching the drivers' shoulders when they are about to crash, warning the person in order that the driver brake in time. But, while standing high above his domain, looking down upon humanity similar to an alternative version of the angel from the director's classic movie Wings of Desire, Gabriel gets ambitious. Gabriel wants to be a great protector and a savior of wayward souls.

A Surprising Turn: Keanu Playing a Human

Therefore, he reveals himself to down-and-out handyman Arj (played by the director), who is living out of a vehicle and cursing his life. Gabriel proceeds to exchanges Arj into the life of extremely wealthy businessman a character (played by Seth Rogen). This idea behind the exercise was that the character would understand the wealthy man's life has major drawbacks, and gratefully return to his own circumstances, much like the figure from the classic film.

Issue was, Arj right away realizes that Jeff's problems (tedious meetings, expensive pool-heater invoice) are minor and readily solved with wealth. Arj further sees how being affluent provides limitless chances for pleasurable fun. The character shows no interest in returning to his previous life, and the angel is unable to compel Arj to return. Then, additional bad news arrives: For overstepping his duties and disrupting the balance of existence, the character is fired as an angel role, and turned to a human being.

A Discovery: The Actor Smiles

Personally, I remained never persuaded by Reeves as an angel who has big dreams and an intense desire to make a difference. He turns in a familiar vaguely constipated acting he has been offering for at least the past three decades. Watching Reeves in the role of angel that has just turned mortal initially, however, was highly entertaining, due to something that truly surprised me at first: It's an element new for the actor. Or more accurately, an aspect old.

Early during his baffling experience as a human, clinging to Jeff (whom Gabriel had swapped with Arj's hand-to-mouth existence and jobless situation), Gabriel begins hesitantly trying out everyday experiences like chewing and consuming meals. And the actor smiles. Genuinely, cautiously, joyously smiles. (This is a lot much believable than his smile on the promotional image, that looks digitally altered.)

The Reason That Grin Matters

The moment really took me aback to realize just how unexpected and welcome that expression felt. At what point did we last we observed the actor smile in a movie where he was not expressing malice, sarcasm, or bitterness? The actor likely attempts a smile at some point in 2020's misbegotten Bill & Ted Face the Music, however I am not revisiting that mess to find out. Reeves has been typecast with serious, murderous, introspective, or simply serious characters for such a duration that just seeing Reeves smile seemed like observing a completely new performer.

While the story goes on, Gabriel ends up needing to get a kitchen position, which fails to provide sufficient for survival, and he begins smoking heavily out of disappointment. Simply the sight of Reeves in a cheap plastic food-service cap, with his recent signature long hair pulled back in a plain bun, slouching on a wall and smoking a cigarette, is worthy of watching. The dishwasher getup totally alters his appearance and posture: Unexpectedly, the slim, well-dressed action star of the John Wick movies becomes awkward, ordinary, and much more human.

The Joy of Viewing Keanu Relax

The film isn't consistently fun to watch, especially when Ansari (who additionally authored the script) must create plausible explanations for {Ar