'Good Luck Jerry' Review: Janhvi Kapoor-starrer is Inconsistent but Good Fun

When it comes to comedy, my tastes are more Hannah Gatsby and Daniel Sloss than they're anything else. But sometimes, for nothing but a laugh, jokes with simple premises work; the classics.

And Good Luck Jerry, directed by Sidharth Sen, is funny because of its simple comedy.

The film follows the way Jerry's (Janhvi Kapoor) life is upturned after she accidentally and then, driven by her circumstances, decides to become a drug dealer. While trying to support her mother who is suffering from a terminal illness, Jerry is driven deeper into the trade leading to both comical and dangerous outcomes.

Janhvi Kapoor portrays the shy but determined Jerry with ease, effortlessly shifting between moods and changes in tonality. Since Good Luck Jerry is a remake of the Nayanthara-starrer Kolamavu Kokila, comparisons are imminent.

But Janhvi plays the role differently than Nayanthara did; whether this be the actor's choice or a directorial call, it works in separating the two actors.

The film's best scenes come through when focusing on Jerry and her family– her mother Sarbati (Mita Vashisht) and her sister Cherry (Samta Sudiksha). Their equation, their quarrels, and their unwavering support for each other are both heartwarming and hilarious.

Vashisht plays a gray, wonderful, charming (and a little scary) character and is a natural on screen.

There are, however, issues. Indian content has no dearth of tropes– even logic is more a choice than a norm. Why, then, have we still not retired the "harmless stalker" trope? Thankfully Jerry is sans love angle because the dating pool in the film is god awful for the most part.

Characters that are frankly traumatising (and even constantly frustrating Jerry and Cherry) are played off for laughs.

Some extremely dark themes are undercut with peppy music, which takes away from the essence of what a black comedy is as a genre.

There are some films whose motive is to entertain and Good Luck Jerry entertains, some gross humour kept aside. It's a fun film owing, once again, to the main family, and some of the characters' ability to carry off physical comedy.

Chaos and confusion are staples of slapstick comedy and while it might've worked for a film like De Dana Dan, it seems dragged out here towards the end.

Keeping aside the problematic tropes and some…questionable choices when it comes to comedy, Good Luck Jerry is a fun watch. Especially because of its cast, including Sushant Singh who, despite his minimal role, creates the atmosphere his character is meant to create in every scene.

Rating: 3 Quints out of 5

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