"Growing up I knew my father was different." John Paul DeJoria's daughter's words naturally speak to the heart of this film. Today, the idea of being "wealthy" has become old news. Countless TV shows feature people with enormous amounts of wealth and feature their lavish lifestyles (i.e Million Dollar Listing, Shark Tank, The Kardashians, etc.) and you don't have to look closely to see that everywhere billionaires are buying out the millionaires.
Praise then must be given to the directors of Good Fortune, Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, for creating a film that is both unique and original. It would have been easy enough to simply portray JP's hard fought journey from the rock bottom to the star studded top: The son of a poor Greek immigrant living out of a car and eating off of the dollar menu to survive, then rising to become Co-Founder of hair goliath Paul Mitchell and founder of tequila king, Patrón. Through this, DeJoria encapsulates the idealistic American dream through his sheer determination. Yet the directors push further and deeper into the subject matter, diving headfirst into societal and moral themes that make DeJoria's story so exclusively captivating and worthy of the big screen.
"Profit, people, planet," JP's mentality of conscious capitalism is revolutionary and awe-inspiring. Whether it is standing on the bow of a ship fighting against whalers in the name of conservationism, giving back to the local Mexican community of the Patrón company, spending his wealth on innovative renewable energy and sustainability, or simply building up his employees at Paul Mitchell, JP lives by example and shows the audience the true meaning of philanthropy.
The film accomplishes this as it weaves its story through the use of a combination of vintage photos and home video, present-day clips, and a handful of celebrity commentaries all brought together by a great soundtrack and sharp narration by Dan Aykeroyd. In all, Good Fortune is an excellent film that paints a picture that truly deserves to be told. Documentary film fan or not, I whole-heartedly recommend this unusual, wonderful and joyous film.
