Good Luck, Don’t Die, Have Fun is such a bold and cheeky title that immediately grabs my attention. With Sam Rockwell as a man claiming to be from the future who holds the patrons of an LA diner hostage, I expected a wacky, bizarre sci-fi comedy, and that is what Gore Verbinski delivered.
Known for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Rango, and The Lone Ranger, this is Verbinski’s first feature in nearly a decade. Based on a script by Matthew Robinson, this dystopian sci-fi features an ensemble cast with the charming Rockwell at the helm. His Future Man character gathers people to support his mission and insists he’s gone through this cycle multiple times, reminiscent of Groundhog Day. Rockwell lets it rip in a droll, unhinged performance, clearly given free rein to improvise and have fun in the role. He looks unkempt and dressed like a bum in a tacky-looking get-up with a bomb strapped to his body.
Then the movie gets broken into several parts to give us a backstory to some of the recruits. The first segment features a couple, Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz, who are teachers facing a horde of zombie-like students. Next, it shifts to Juno Temple as a grieving mother, Susan, who gets a chance to ‘reunite’ with her deceased son. While this part feels a bit like a less-inspired Black Mirror episode, Temple stands out as one of the strongest performers, displaying a deep emotional depth. The final segment focuses on Haley Lu Richardson’s Ingrid, a professional party princess who’s allergic to technology and gets nosebleeds whenever she’s near anyone using their smartphones. I had the opportunity to interview Haley Lu back in 2014. I’m glad to see her career taking off as she’s such a talented actress. A few other recruits join the adventure, such as loud-mouthed Uber driver Scott (Asim Chaudhry) and Marie (Georgia Goodman), who just wants a good slice of pie.
The film has this wild, chaotic vibe, especially as the crew races towards a mysterious location that we don’t find out about until the third act. The action really picks up in the second half, featuring occasional bursts of violence and shootouts. Future Man’s whole goal is to prevent the AI from posing a threat to humanity, and it turns out that the AI is actually a 9-year-old kid perched on a mountain of wires. The scene where Future Man faces off against the AI kid is quite bizarre, and the robot army part feels like it was inspired by Toy Story 3. You’ll get what I’m talking about once you watch it.
Movies warning about AI featuring a man from the future aren’t exactly groundbreaking; just look at The Terminator and all its countless knockoffs. But this film feels particularly relevant right now, especially with those zombie-like high schoolers serving as a clear metaphor for how the younger generation is overly dependent on tech. Of course, older folks aren’t spared from the digital overload either, with everything from smartphones to virtual reality potentially taking over our lives.
The themes explored here, particularly the dehumanization caused by AI, seem to hit home for Verbinski and many other filmmakers in Hollywood. There are definitely some interesting concepts floating around, but even though it’s entertaining, Verbinski’s direction tends to get messy and over the top. Marketed as a dark comedy, it doesn’t always hit the mark humor-wise, with some jokes just falling flat. As if it wasn’t already bizarre enough, there’s a giant man-eating cat that shows up out of nowhere. I was really hoping that after a crazy 2 hours and 14 minutes, we’d reach a satisfying conclusion. What we get is a rather anticlimactic finale that lacks the punch to make this satire truly stand out.
Nonetheless, in a world filled with remakes, sequels, and films based on existing IP, it’s refreshing to come across an original movie that genuinely attempts to offer something fresh. The caution about ongoing distractions and allowing AI to take over our everyday lives is certainly something worth thinking about. So, in that spirit, put down your devices and give Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die a watch.
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I’ll wait for this when it arrives on streaming as it does look fun. Plus, that ensemble makes it very appealing.
Yes the cast is great, love seeing Rockwell in a lead role that’s tailored for him.
Sounds like a tonne of fun even with the anticlimactic finale. Beats the tired familiarity of umpteenth franchise entries. I might give it a go when I get the chance.
Indeed! Anything original is always better than recycled stuff.
Wonderful reviews as always. I have never heard of the movie “Good Luck, Don’t Die, Have Fun” but it does sound like the type of film I would appreciate. I have always been a fan of the sci-fi genre and love movies that tackle the themes of artificial intelligence. I am also a huge fan of Sam Rockwell and think he is one of the most underrated actors working today. He always pours his heart and soul into every single role. So, for these reasons, I would definitely be sure to check out “Good Luck, Don’t Die, Have Fun” when it hits streaming.
Here’s a list of my favourite Sam Rockwell films:
If you like scifi and Sam Rockwell, this is a movie for you! He’s definitely one of the best actors working today and he looks so effortless in anything. Love him in Iron Man 2; such a fun performance. Great list btw, I can’t believe I still haven’t seen Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but my hubby and I plan to see that later this month!
Thanks for the feedback. As a huge fan of both sci-fi and Sam Rockwell, I have a feeling I will love this film. Rockwell is definitely one of the most underrated actors working today. He has a talent for stealing the show in supporting roles. I love all his movies but “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is absolutely my favourite. He won a well-deserved Oscar for his performance. It’s one of my favourite films about grief. It’s not an easy watch but absolutely worth checking out.
Here’s my thoughts on the movie:
I saw the trailer of this one a while back and thought it was going to be a comeback for Verbinski. But it hardly got any marketing push and I didn’t know that the movie was already in theaters! I’ll give it a watch when it hits one the streaming services.
I feel like it’s got quite a lot of marketing push; I already got the emails from the publicist weeks ago. Obviously it won’t have the budget of big tentpole movies, but I think the social media buzz is there, and I’m curious if it translates to box office success.
Did it come out already or is it opening soon? I totally forgot about it until I saw your review here. It’s the reason why I said it didn’t get any marketing push, I haven’t seen any spots on YouTube or any of the social channels that I follow. I hope it does well so that studios will be open to making these type of “original” ideas as opposed to reboots, sequels or remakes.
Yes, I will give this movie a watch.
I hear everything you say about AI and I agrre!
Hey, I like what I’m seeing of Rockwell’s costume.
Thanks Ruth! XOXOXOXO
(Hmm, your blog appears to have fallen off my weekly email notifications)
Hey Resa! I don’t know why the notifications fall off your weekly email… I didn’t do anything different on my end. I personally don’t rely on those, I just type in the blog URLs that I frequent and see if there is a new post.
I think people are understandably wary about AI, just like any new tech, it’s always scary initially. It’s crazy though, when the smartphones, especially iPhone first came out, people just immediately grabbed on to it and now most people can’t imagine life without smartphones. I know I can’t imagine not having Google Maps when I’m driving, LOL.
I personally think AI can be a good tool if used properly and not used to REPLACE what we do, like it can help with making mundane tasks, even writing, more efficient. I think with the younger generation, it sort of takes over their lives, as some use it to do homework or research for them, for example. That makes them become dull, as they don’t use their own brainpower, y’know.
I agree. No stopping AI, but it’s good to be wary. We must be wary.
Interesting, I had a very early cell phone, a Nokia.
It was the size of a winter boot, and always lost the signal. I changed phones as they became more sophisticated, but I have honestly never been hooked.
They are a communication device for me, and now with the cameras, I use the camera.
NO email on my phone.
I sit at my computer to do email.
NO notifications .. I do not need to hear ping ping ping all day.
No apps, except my Google photos.
Text yes.
When I go for walks, I put it on Airplane mode. That’s my time, and no one else’s.
I do not use it when walking down the street or on public transport.
I use my iphone. It does not use me.
That is in essence where we need to be with AI.
We use it. BUT, I see it using us already.
❦🕊❤︎ ~ 💙 ~ ❤︎🕊❦
I wish I were as diligent as you in refraining from using my iPhone, ahah. But I like your attitude… we ought to USE technology and AI, not let those USE us. That’s the way we all should look at it; we create tools to help us be more efficient, though in reality it becomes the opposite!! 😬
Exactly.
AI- is it too late? After all AI has sucked up all we have put on line, whether we allowed it or not.
The crazy thing is that for all the wonderful things AI could be doing for us, I see it being used for political nuisance (& worse), adroit laziness, Isolation illnesses (ie: AI fake girlfriends…young men are in trouble) Porn, including taking a 5 year old’s image and having a sick way with it, replacing humans at work (this is of particular interest, as in the past there were always new jobs generated as old ones disappeared. I don’t see that so much with AI. AI can replace /fill the very spaces it creates) , cheating, lying, etc.
Really Ruth, I think humanity needs to take a good long look in the mirror.
xoxoxo
Verbinski— That’s a name I must not’ve heard in “nearly a decade” I was gonna SaY!👍😁 Awesome surprise this looks fun. Rockwell’s appearance reminds me of “Bob The Pirate” a side character from Luc Besson’s “Valerian.”… Well Verbinski maybe didn’t bring this one completely home, but I am intrigued by these costumes and that man-eating cat! I must share this with a friend here who is a Sam Rockwell fan🥂
Yeah, he’s not a prolific director, probably still has enough $$$ from those Pirates franchise LOL
Oh I haven’t seen Valerian; now I’m curious! Rockwell lives up to his name, as he always rocks every role well 😉 That giant cat is very strange, kinda took me out of the movie a bit 🐈
Valerian is just ok. The Fifth Element and Leon The Professional are Besson’s best IMO.
Yes, The Professional is amazing, LOVE Gary Oldman there. The Fifth Element is bonkers and fun.
I read that in every test run of that scene where Oldman tells his henchman to bring everyone, he whispered it. So in the real take everybody on set actually jumped when he screamed it— 😎
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