Good Luck Jerry Movie Review: Janhvi Kapoor Is Growing Charmingly As An Actor In A Dark Comedy That Is Satisfyingly Eccentric

Star Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Deepak Dobriyal, Sahil Mehta, Mita Vashisht, Jaswant Singh Dalal, Sushant Singh & ensemble.

Director: Siddharth Sen.

What’s Good: Janhvi Kapoor knows what she is capable of and presents just that leaving us impressed. An updated adaptation that only gets better and a beautiful music album that supports it well.

What’s Bad: A part of the climax that is highly under-explained and a bit of the second half.

Loo Break: This is a fun watch and on OTT. Pause and take that break but not when playing.

Watch or Not?: You should because Janhvi is breaking the notions about her and the film as a whole is entertaining.

Language: Hindi (with subtitles).

Available On: Disney+ Hotstar.

Runtime: 139 Minutes.

Jaya Kumari aka Jerry is a girl living in a financial crisis and trying to rise above the socio-economic strata she is born in. For this, she does an unconventional job and when the problems decide to multiply and intensify at the same time she even resorts to peddling drugs. How she manages to do it and even ends up fooling the entire syndicate while being naive is the story.

Good Luck Jerry Movie Review: Script Analysis

Adapted from Kolamaavu Kokila, a Telugu film that starred Nayanthara, Good Luck Jerry is the better version of the story. I have reasons to back my claim and you have to be with me till the end. A girl trying to rise from the mud that she is destined to be in is a trajectory we have seen a lot of times. With the rise of OTT, it is kind of a subplot in many shows. But the unique aspect of this Janhvi Kapoor starrer is that while it empathises with everything that deserves empathy, it never takes itself too seriously.

It is almost a dark comedy where everything is in the right proportions. Original story by Nelson Dilipkumar and adapted by Pankaj Matta, the first thing that changes is the age of the protagonist and the scale at which the film is set in. It almost begins like the story of a fairy wrongly pushed into the world where she neither suits nor belongs. The movie revolves around three women and a group of drug mafias who kind of want to rule everything.

The writing while it empathises with the said three women and the lack of male figures in their lives due to which many other perverts try their luck on them. But it also highlights the pros that their gender and the fact that they are desired gives them. It’s dark and you aren’t allowed to judge or scale their decisions in any moral compass. The opening scene has Mita playing the mother and a Momo seller dropping them and selling the dirty momos. Followed by a scene where everyone is coughing and Jerry is kneading the dough with her bare feet without washing them.

No judging, that’s how they leave and you buy momos from them. It is from this point that the game begins. Mita falls ill and Jerry has to bring the money. She resorts to a business to which she was introduced at gunpoint and kind of begins to rule it. The naive girl who has only lived an oppressed life finds her liberation and the life she desired in a bad business. While she is also put through the hardship and trauma her gender brings with it sadly in this setup, she somehow manages to keep the ball in her court. She is naive, not dumb. What a character arc.

So are the drug mafias. It’s a dark comedy, you have to laugh while dreading the baddies who are capable of doing bad things. And the script does just that. Adding a whole lot of fresh situational humour, it manages to shape a funny world around the villains while keeping their fear alive in your mind. A tricky task but done so beautifully.

Every twist is intriguing and demands your full attention. Except for the climax where Jerry hide the drugs in a very surprising space. But how did she manage to is a mystery unsolved.

Good Luck Jerry Movie Review: Star Performance

Janhvi Kapoor proves why she is one of the most promising new faces on the block. The actor manages to bring out the naivety, vulnerability, and cunningness together quite effortlessly. The best part is that Kapoor knows her capabilities and plays within them without trying to go overboard. It is rare for actors to accept their strengths and use them without making them look obvious. Yes, her accent does go off in a few scenes but she has got the talent to cover it up.

Mita Vashisht is prolific as the mother. She adds a lot of humour and depth to the story. You can see the hardship on her face and that’s a good thing. Jaswant Singh Dalal goes through a transformation and is amazing. I wish there was more of him.

Deepak Dobriyal deserves a special mention. The actor is blessed and can make almost anything look good. The most over the top maniac character he has played till date and what a brilliant performance. I want you to witness him yourself. And I refuse to believe Sahil Mehta isn’t a Punjabi guy. Tabbar and now here he is superb. He brings most of the comedy to the film and you will notice him no matter what.

Good Luck Jerry Movie Review: Direction, Music

Siddharth Sen’s direction is quite good. He manages to create a maze out of the script he has. Think of Ludo if it was just about one story and Pankaj Tripathi. He directs Good Luck Jerry like that. In his direction he does include his idea of the world. He acknowledges the economic inequality, gender pros/cons, the prism through which many see North-eastern folks. The way he presents them and gives them the authority is so good.

DOP Rangarajan Ramabadran shoots this world with bright strokes of green and blue. He never makes it dark enough to kill the humour and not even very bright to keep the fear going. It is always balanced and beautiful.

Parag Chhabra’s music is so fresh and unique. This has to be the best opening song in the longest. The opening credits are good and the music makes it even better.

Good Luck Jerry Movie Review: The Last Word

Janhvi Kapoor is proving herself film after film. I hope she only gets better at her craft. The film as a whole is a fun watch and has its own amazing moments. Go in and enjoy the ride.

Good Luck Jerry Trailer

Good Luck Jerry releases on 29 July, 2022.

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