Review: 'GoodLuck Jerry' is a hilarious dark comedy led by a fantastic Janhvi Kapoor

GoodLuck Jerry

I reiterate - Janhvi Kapoor is here to stay and her choices of films make that more and more pronouncing. The actor, who has already carved an interesting career so far with her choice of films ranging from Gunjan Saxena - Te Kargil Girl to now GoodLuck Jerry just keeps better and better with every film and the latter, that is now available on Disney+ Hotstar is indeed her best so far.

Having had the chance to see GoodLuck Jerry before hand, here is what I thought about it-

Impeccable Comedy

The film is billed to be a dark comedy and it delivers on the same with flying colors. Since frame one till the very end, there is barely a moment that goes by where the intended comedy doesn't deliver. The movie is hilarious for all the right reasons - be it Deepak Dobriyal's Rinku doing some physical and slapstick comedy or some other characters doing a bit more understated and subtle comedy on stereotypes and even gender discrimination - every joke lands and does so in the best possible way. It is after a long time that we see a Bollywood film, where the situations and jokes are actually funny.

The Remake Curse is Broken

As we know, GoodLuck Jerry is the official remake of Kolamaavu Kokila, where the latter starred Nayanthara in the lead role. One of the biggest achievements for GoodLuck Jerry is that unlike so many other adaptations, this remake is actually better than the original. That's right, I said it. I have seen the original as well and while that was indeed a lot of fun and engaging, somehow, the Janhavi Kapoor starrer is better, funnier and a lot more engaging in its own sense. Taking the story and Punjabi-fying it helps a lot where it leads to incorporating colorful and quirky characters.

The Janhavi Kapoor Show

It is fascinating to imagine how Janhavi Kapoor was ridiculed and belittled even before her debut film, Dhadak hit the screens. After watching Dhadak, I was admittedly one of the many who didn't believe that she might cut it with such film choices. But if there is an improvement graph that needs to be looked at for reference - it has to be that of Kapoor's. With every film, the lady has only gotten better and better and with GoodLuck Jerry, it is her best indeed. Inspite of having stalwart acting legends in the film, Kapoor holds her own in every scene. Amazingly, she does know her limitations too as an actor where she doesn't try to overdo anything. An understated take on every scene, her reaction skills have improved tremendously. Also, Kapoor might just be the best on-screen crier I have seen in recent times.

Other Acting Starlwarts

As I mentioned, GoodLuck Jerry has a plethora of acting stalwarts playing key roles. The likes of Sushant Singh and Sourabh Sachdeva as the two main baddies, coupled with a fantastic act by veteran Mita Vashisht as the mother and lastly, a flourishing and hilarious performance by Sahil Mehta (Tabbar fame), these actors make sure to complement a learning Janhavi Kapoor in the best way possible. Finally, Deepak Dobriyal just proves yet again why he is one of the best actors and is still criminally underrated. As the quirky, delusional and obnoxious Rinku, Dobriyal adds the perfect comic relief in the film and do not miss out on the super fun end credits rap song.

The Treatment

The entire treatment of GoodLuck Jerry is also a smart call where the entire film seems to be shot with sepia tones. Unlike so many other drug movies with powerful people in a small town, the claustrophobia of living and hovering around in small and congested places is indeed pronounced but doesn't bother you as a viewer. It is intentional and you have to give kudos to the cinematographer, Rangarajan Ramabadran for his skill of doing so.

I have to give special mention to the music of the film, where the quirkiness of the lyrics and the beats perfectly complement the bizarre world everything operates in. 'Zindagi Jhandba' and 'Paracetamol' are quirky numbers that continue the smile on your face as you enjoy the beats while chartbuster 'Mor Mor' also arrives at an opportune time.

Finally, the direction by Siddharth Sen is top notch. This is his debut as a feature film director but one can easily see how amazingly he has learnt having assisted on films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and Budhia Singh: Born To Run among others. Sen perfectly balances the setting of Punjab into this world of having an innocent yet smart Jaya Kumari aka Jerry (Kapoor) thus providing a great treat.

Just One Flaw

Here, I am only nitpicking and that too only because that became a feeling as the film ended. There are instances in the film, especially in the climax where things seemed rather convenient. A couple of big reveals and twists seemed very easy in the way they were executed but extremely difficult to pull-off in the setting of the film. In an ode to make it like a 'comedy of errors' situation in the climax where all hell breaks loose, it does get a little too much and seems longer than it is. But these aren't too concerning anyway.

The Verdict

In the end, GoodLuck Jerry is Janhavi Kapoor's best indeed and given the fact that film is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, there is no reason why one should be missing such a fun time.

Rating - **** (4/5)