Good Fortune (2016) Reviews

• Interesting doc, but as always, BEWARE the planted IMDb "reviews"

  Coolestmovies2017-07-26

  As I write this (July 26, 2017), there are 14 user reviews on this documentary by the following people: "Justin Anderson", "Shane Flint", "janepeterse", "David Trotter", "Isaac Landry", "Sean Rivera", "kaylifsutl", "Elisabeth James", "Christopher Ortezo", "jsscmrgndvs", "Mandy Ford", "Amanda Nasc", "Monica Summer", "mabarry-69560" I placed their names in quotations because I'm convinced they're all non-existent entities. ALL of these "users" have submitted "reviews" for some combination of a VERY small batch of independent films and documentaries and nothing more: Good Fortune, Danger Close, Chief Zabu, Imperfections, Urban Hymn, Founders, Granny of the Dead, Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies, 1 Night and Walk of Fame. End of list. MOST of their reviews are approximately the same length, because the smaller number of real people writing them -- much as with ALL fake reviews all across the web -- are paid by the word. The writing style employed on several of them are so similar as to be the work of one person. All of these "authors" give these film 9- or 10-star IMDb ratings, which in turn prompts readers who smell a scam to place retaliatory reviews, much like this one, to try and "balance" the deceptively high scores given to the films in question. While I actively encourage that practice, I DON'T encourage throwing up disingenuous 1-star ratings because that's just as detrimental to the casual IMDb surfer as the gushing 10-star reviews. I rated Good Fortune a 6, because I HONESTLY believe that's what it deserves; it's a well-made hagiography, cut and dried, and since it's theatrical run was limited largely to festival dates, the producers or the studio that eventually acquired it rather obviously sought out resources to boost it's profile on IMDb and parent company Amazon (where many of these exact same "users" deposited the exact same reviews while having no other product reviews to their names), as well as other sites I'm sure. Obviously, SOME viewers would indeed rate this particular film much higher than I did, others will honestly rate it much lower, but the fact that ALL the reviews on the film so far have toed virtually the exact same line, in addition to the staggeringly obvious clues to their manufactured nature as noted above not only does a disservice to the film and its makers — even if they WERE privy to the scheme — but also to IMDb's already shaky trustworthiness in this regard. Surely if the IMDb can shutter the forums that helped make them the global community experience they always wanted to be because of inappropriate behavioour, they can likewise start filtering out fake, misleading and oftentimes paid-for reviews. Until then, this particular movie remains worth seeing, but in no way worthy of such high praise.

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• Inspiring documentary about humanitarian JP DeJoria

  justinannazone2017-06-20

  The newest documentary from Josh and Rebecca Tickell is a personal and inspiring looking into conscious capitalism. Focusing on John Paul DeJoria, Good Fortune tells JP's story from his childhood up until today. JP's life is fascinating as he was homeless twice and living out of his car before he founded Paul Mitchell and Patron Tequila. The founding of his companies is incredibly interesting, with the story of discovering Patron particularly standing out. Through a mix of reenactments, archival footage and interviews with JP and many friends, including huge celebrities like Danny Trejo, Arianna Huffington and Dan Aykroyd (who also narrates the film), Good Fortune paints a vivid portrait of JP as a business pioneer and humanitarian. It is heartwarming to hear all the nice things people have to say about JP and see how he uses his wealth to give back to over 160 charities. My favorite moment is probably when his daughter tears up telling the story of the time JP bought a woman and her family a meal at a diner. The woman stood up and thanked whoever did the good deed, but JP never took any credit for it. The moment represents the best part of the documentary: the compassion and the heart that JP shows the world and that we all should show each other. If you are looking for an entertaining documentary about the human condition, Good Fortune is the one.

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• Good Fortune

  davidthorpeal2017-06-20

  Good Fortune is an inspiring documentary about the rags to riches story of a man named John Paul Dejoria. If you haven't heard of him, you've almost definitely heard of his businesses – he's the founder and CEO of companies like Patron and Paul Mitchell. John Paul isn't your typical businessman, however. The film details how Dejoria grew up destitute and was at one point homeless and how that experience shaped him. Now that he is so successful, he gives back to over 160 different charities and activist organizations. The directors, Josh and Rebecca Tickell, have previously won awards for their other documentaries likes Fuel, and it is no surprise that Good Fortune turned out so well. I loved the pacing they used and the variety of the scenes in the film. There are narrative moments telling us about John Paul's life, there are interviews with his friends that give us a deeper look into the type of person he is, and there are scenes where we see John Paul in action running his businesses and doing charity work. The variety of these scenes keeps you engaged in topics like business and charity, and makes you invest emotionally into the story of John Paul's life. He has an amazing story that made for an amazing movie.

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• GREAT Fortune

  janepeterse2017-06-19

  The path to success does not come easy, but Good Fortune shows that no businessman has to lose their soul to the daily grind. Following billionaire and Paul Mitchell CEO John Paul DeJoria, Good Fortune is the story of how DeJoria practices conscious capitalism and gives back to over 160 charities today. Fuel directors Josh and Rebecca Tickell made this documentary personal with the genuine interviews from DeJoria's friends and with the old photographs and archival footage. I specifically loved the personal interviews from stars such as Danny Trejo, Dan Aykroyd, and Michelle Phillips! Being a fan of The Mama's and the Papa's, seeing Michelle Phillips' interview gushing about her childhood friend DeJoria was personally one of the highlights of this movie for me. My favorite part is an ironic story Phillips told about a time when her and DeJoria passed an innocent note in class, how their teacher caught them, and how he made both Phillips and DeJoria stand up in class and said "these two will never amount to anything." I can sit here writing about every aspect I loved about this movie, but honestly, I would just ruin it for you. I recommend this movie because every single scene gets better and more inspiring!

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• Inspiring American Dream Story

  isaaclevine-367312017-06-14

  Good Fortune is an inspiring "rags to riches" story about how John Paul DeJoria went from being homeless twice in his life, to then becoming a successful entrepreneur and lifelong philanthropist. The documentary focuses on how JP started brands such as Paul Mitchell and Patron Tequila from pretty much nothing, and the hardships that he has overcome in order to be in the position that he is in today. Throughout the film, the audience is taken back in time to pivotal moments in JP's life in order to show the tough road to success that he has conquered. My favorite aspect of the film was the countless stories told by close friends of JP's, such as Dan Aykroyd and Michelle Phillips, which gives the audience an in depth and personal account of JP's life that wouldn't normally be available to the public. I really enjoyed watching this genuine and positive documentary, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing what the true definition of the American Dream is.

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