Janhvi Kapoor and the fantastic ensemble of character artists cannot save this semi-brewed and flat story. While Good Luck Jerry is a fun watch overall, it vaporizes the moment you turn the screen off.

Good Luck Jerry is a black-comedy crime-drama film starring Janhvi Kapoor, Deepak Dobriyal, Mita Vashisth & an ensemble of character artists. It revolves around Jerry who wants money for her mother’s cancer treatment and hence, gets dirty in the world of crime by smuggling Drugs in Punjab. While the story-line is pretty straight, the makers have not made it in a usual way. They have finely blended it with comedy. So, more than a crime-drama, this film more appropriately fits in the genre of comedy.

In terms of the writing, the story is straightforward. No major twists or “Oh” moments. You’ll expect twists to be thrown at you, but there is nothing coming your way. This is the biggest drawback in the film and will disappoint you. The screenplay is equally messy, and for no reason at all. The connection between scenes and the flow of the story at large is very poorly written. The dialogues are funny and authentic and are able to capture the tone of both Bihar & Punjab at large. However, the comedy is too much and all over the place. The humour is short-lasting and easily forgettable. The comic timing is also very poor and doesn’t make an impact. So much so that the important punches and lines go unnoticed. There have been so many comedy and black-comedy films set against serious backdrop and with good comic timings, and have done wonders.

What saves this otherwise flawed film is the performances. Jahnvi Kapoor shines as Jerry. She not only looks like a Bihari girl but also acts up to the character. But the real stars of the show are the character artists. Deepak Dobriyal is too good with his hilarious act. Mita Vashisth aces as the Bihari mother. And the villains played by Sushant Singh, Saurabh Sachdeva and Sahil Mehta play their quirky characters with ease and are fun to watch.

On the technical front, two things deserve special mention. The cinematography and the production design. The camerawork through the small lanes, in the houses and in sequences with multiple characters is very smooth and visually appealing. It genuinely captures the essence of Punjab and the socio-cultural milieu there. The production design is equally raw and authentic. This said, you are surely not going to have momos again after watching this film.

On the whole, Good Luck Jerry could have been more than just a film that you watch and forget. It could have had evergreen comic elements that go on forever. It also tried to enunciate important message of ‘feminism’ with a lot of scenes where the makers try to show how the three female protagonists don’t need a ‘man’ and handled crisis situations themselves without the help of males who on the other hand are shown as useless. Alas, all Good Luck Jerry does is that it gives you a good momentary 2 hours and should be your pick if you are looking for something light & fun.