Goodluck Jerry Movie Review: Janhvi Kapoor starrer etches out a balanced dark comedy minus the shoddy second half

The genre of dark comedy in Bollywood is often a huge gamble which can emerge as a winner or go downhill if executed shabbily. Janhvi Kapoor 's Goodluck Jerry is the Hindi remake of the 2018 Tamil film Kolamaavu Kokila and caters to this genre extensively. While the film manages to etch out the fine juxtaposition between the dark humor and the bizarre chain of events, it's the shoddy climax that is the shortcoming of the movie

The plot revolves around Jerry (Janhvi Kapoor) a young woman with a deplorable life which consists of an ailing mother (Mita Vasisht) struggling to make ends meet with a veg momo stall, a younger sister (Samta Sudiksha) whose romantic life is more active than her academic life and finally a monotonous massage parlor job. She also has a one-sided lovestruck admirer Rinku ( Deepak Dobriyal ). When due to a chain of events, Jerry gets embroiled in drug racket stint, she finds out that she isn't bad at the job with her innocent demeanor not inviting any suspicion. She decides to become an active drug supplier for the quick money for her mother's treatment but soon realizes she has sunk her feet deep into a macabre and dangerous ocean. 

Siddharth Sen skillfully manages to weave the two different environments of a frustrated but close-knited family of three women and on the other hand, a dysfunctional drug racket team who seem to have severe trust issues with one another. The writing by Pankaj Matta establishes the comedy of errors with a garb of danger and jeopardy in a sharp manner. Jerry's tryst with her newfound job and how she manipulates her boss and her another one-sided admirer Timmy (Jaswant Singh Dalal) forms one of the highlights. 

The sub-plot where th Jerry along with her mother Sarbati and her sister Cherry unknowingly inculcate their respective admirers in one of the prime drug delivery consignment brings out one of the most hilarious moments in the film. However, Goodluck Jerry's weakest moment comes in the extreme second half and the climax of the film where the entire chain of events results into a chaotic mesh. Keeping the peculiarity aside, one is not able to comprehend how Jerry's psyche allowed her to pull off so many mammoth tricks up her sleeves which miraculously pits the drug dealers against each other but she and her family remain unscathed. The punches and dialogues during the massive killing spree at the end come across as highly ambiguous. The movie could've also delved a little more deeper into the relationship of Jerry with her family as it would've added a little emotional depth to the plot. 

Talking about the performances, Janhvi Kapoor tries to give it her all despite some shaky moments. The actress looks elevated especially in the scenes wherein she chanels her manipulative side in the garb of innocence. It can be safely said that Goodluck Jerry comes across as Janhvi's most impressive filmography till date when it comes to her performance. She still needs to work on the emotionally high octane scenes which has her struggling till now. However, its the supporting cast members whose performances adds that much needed Tadka in the film. 

Mita Vashisht yet again is spectacular in her act while Neeraj Sood and Samta Sudiksha are convincing in their parts. The drug racket squad consisting of Jaswant Singh Dalal, Sahil Mehta, Saurabh Sachdeva and Mohan Kamboj are a visual delight. There is never a dull moment with them on the screen. Some of the most rib-tickling parts of the movie comprises of their stellar acts. And what can I say about Deepak Dobriyal? The man once again is masterful with his character and you'll just crave to see more of him. Sushant Singh remained a little underutilized for a powerhouse of an actor of his calibre. 

The cinematography by Rangarajan Ramabadran does a fine job in capturing the rustic locales of Punjab and also forms a dark undertone when showcasing the shady dungeons and thriving place of the drug racket chain. The music by Parag Chhabra doesn't have any highly impactful song but they do a fine job in taking the plotline forward and especially makes up for an impressive opening credit. Watch Goodluck Jerry to witness a well churned out dark comedy with some slight hits and misses.