What distinguishes Good Fortune from other documentaries you've seen in recent years is one thing: a smile. Your smile. In a market positively saturated with negative information, morally bankrupt businesses and the absolute destruction of our planet, Good Fortune and its protagonist John Paul DeJoria push the pendulum 180 degrees in the other direction. This is a movie about hope, success against all odds and most importantly – doing something important with that standpoint. The narrative arc follows J.P. DeJoria through homelessness (twice), gang membership, business success and finally philanthropy. Though founding Paul Mitchell and attaining wealth from humble backgrounds would be admirable by itself, the fact that J.P. decided to invest in technologies such as solar power as well as back into the community through charity elevates his actions to rarity. What distinguishes DeJoria from his peers in the business community is his unhampered commitment to his planet and his people; a shot in the offices of Paul Mitchell demonstrates his true love for the employees, calling them geniuses and asking for their opinions about the product. This action extends directly to the viewer's heart in the seconds following, as he waits, genuinely interested in the answer. Good Fortune stands as a rags to riches tale told through the rear-view mirror of a man who intimately understands the road he's traveled on, and hasn't forgotten a single bump along the way. Equally successful as its subject, I give Good Fortune the highest distinction as a documentary fan and the biggest recommendation as a human being with a now-full heart.
Review of Good Fortune
