Show Notes
Aziz Ansari is a comedian who seems to always have been intrigued by the idea of status, and the stranglehold it can put people in. You might not immediately think of it when you think of his work, but the 42-year-old seems drawn to dreamers and strivers and people who yearn to transcend their station in life, finding comedy and drama in the gap between what they have and what they covet.
In Parks & Recreation, the hit sitcom that made him a household name, Aziz played Tom Haverford, a small-town entrepreneur obsessed with expensive colognes, designer clothes and living a luxury existence; this despite working in the not exactly glamorous world of local government. His acclaimed stand-up work has also touched on materialism. And who can forget Master Of None, the Netflix series he wrote and directed, from 2015 to 2021. That Emmy Award-winning show frequently discussed social mobility. As a child of Indian immigrants, Aziz’s character Dev found himself on more than one occasion reflecting on the life that he gets to live compared to the one his parents sacrificed to give him.
Which brings us to Good Fortune – the comedian’s hilarious feature directorial debut. It’s a movie that could only exist in our depressing era of gig work and Amazon so-called fulfilment centres. Aziz plays Arj – a Task Rabbit employee trying and failing to make ends meet. At his wits end after a series of setbacks, he’s visited by an angel named Gabriel, played by Keanu Reeves, who swaps him into the shoes of his ultra-rich boss, Jeff, played by Seth Rogen. He’s meant to learn that actually, money isn’t the solution to all your problems. True happiness comes from within. Just one problem – in our cost-of-living crisis era, money does at the very least make people’s lives much easier. Arj doesn’t want to swap back. Cue a ridiculous and ridiculously funny romp through LA’s glitziest parties and seediest shadow spaces.
In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Aziz tells me about actually becoming a Door Dash worker in real life, delivering food to people’s doors, as a window into the impossible economics of jobs like that. We break down the funniest moments and the most powerful truths in this tale. And you’ll also hear Aziz reflect on his own relationship with luck and so-called good fortune.
Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on [email protected].
To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon.
Get coverage on your screenplay by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
More from Script Apart with Al Horner
There's plenty to reckon with in The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's sequel-of-sorts to The Social Network – one of the most lauded films of the century so far. That David Fincher-directed tale explained how Facebook, one of the most powerful companies on the planet, came to be – and the alleged spite and insecurity that caused its creator, Mark Zuckerberg to create it. Sixteen years later, he's back – this time in the director's chair, with the story of what social media spiralled into as Zuckerberg – this time played by Jeremy Strong – chased profits at the expense of civic responsibility. On today's Script Apart, Aaron returns to the show to break down his screenplay for the film in spoiler detail – and outline why he's "not ruling out" making a film about Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old alleged to have murdered killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
Live from the belly of the beast – aka a London hotel room before the European premiere of their new movie – Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, No One Will Save You) and Daniel Kraus (the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angel Down) are my guests this week, breaking down a survival thriller with surprising emotional dimensions. Whalefall is the pair's exhilarating new underwater adventure, and on today's episode, the three of us reunite, having spent time together on the set of the movie in 2025. Get ready for a deep dive – sorry, couldn't resist – into all the film's twists and turns, as well as personal revelations about what the story means to each of them. It's a whale of a time. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
That's all, folks? Not by a long shot. Coyote Vs Acme – the Who Framed Roger Rabbit-esque courtroom comedy written by my guest today. Samy Burch – was famously cancelled by Warner Bros in late 2023 but has since experienced a remarkable revival, making its way to screens this summer as the result of enormous public outcry. Today on the show, Samy breaks down both the film itself and the ways in which life imitated art in the aftermath of the movie's creation. The Dave Green-directed Looney Tunes tale is ultimately a story of David vs Goliath – an underdog (quite literally) going up against a huge corporation. That's what the story of Coyote vs Acme itself ended up becoming. On this week's episode, Samy and I dissect it all. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Support for this episode comes from our friends at Final Draft. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
The world has forgotten New York's famous web-slinger in the latest blockbuster outing in the MCU. The irony is, in real life, Peter Parker is a character that pop culture could never forget or cast aside. In today's Script Apart, Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna – the screenwriters behind this summer's all-conquering 'Brand New Day' – contemplate why that is and what makes him so enduring. They also share how Daredevil himself, Matt Murdock, almost had a presence in the movie, as Peter's lawyer during a court case after Spidey becomes the victim of IP theft. Yes, you read that right. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Support for this episode comes from our friends at Final Draft. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
Time to delve into screenwriting parts unknown with the writers of one of 2026's most moving coming-of-age dramas. Todd Bartels and Lou Howe are my guests today, discussing in spoiler-filled detail how they cooked up a biopic exploring the teenage life and times of one Anthony Bourdain – author, chef and beloved TV travel host. Discover how they approached the various story threads and characters in the Matt Johnson-directed drama – and what they had to get right in the script to do right by the great man, whose memory could easily have been desecrated. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Support for this episode comes from our friends at Final Draft. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.