Seven years after he was accused of sexual misconduct, and three years after his directorial debut Being Mortal fell apart due to complaints about headliner Bill Murray’s on-set behavior, Aziz Ansari finally gets behind the camera for Good Fortune.

The film is a story about a working-class Los Angeles film professional who, coping with miserable hardship, searches for purpose and happiness—a scenario that invariably invites fiction-imitating-reality comparisons. Nonetheless, no matter its personal dimension, the comedian’s initial feature, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and hits theaters Oct. 17, is an amusing saga of gig worker exploitation, economic inequality, and the way in which friends, love, and togetherness beget the hope that gives life meaning.

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