Spring Film Festival - “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”
- Matt Palmer
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The final film festival selection that I checked out for this week’s slate is the Gore Verbinski-directed “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” a weird, yet entertaining film.
A man claiming to be from the future takes the patrons of an iconic Los Angeles diner hostage in search of unlikely recruits in a quest to save the world.
The film festival selection “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is a chaotic, fun film that delivers a high-energy tone, led by another awesome performance from Sam Rockwell. This entertaining film also features some cynical humor, smart satire on technology, and a really unique structure that blends separate character-driven vignettes into a really chaotic finale.
The performances in this film, especially from Sam Rockwell, is easily one of the film’s strongest elements and they are the infectious energy that helps carry the film’s chaotic and high-concept plot. Throughout the film, it looks like he’s at the top of his game and just having a blast making this film. His performance has a lot of manic energy and does a really great job delivering complex exposition with some very comedic moments.
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” also delivers a satirical tone, balancing dark, “Black Mirror” - like A.I. apocalypse scenarios with very dry wit and humorous, absurd character interactions. The film’s tone made its critique of technology and social media entertaining rather than bleak, allowing the wacky, high-stakes, and chaotic moments to feel justified.
Some viewers can feel connected with the film’s portrayal of how technology has destroyed human interaction, with characters in the film actually choosing virtual worlds or phones over reality. And even though the film can be a slight exaggeration of the current world, where people are glued to their devices, it’s still a highly entertaining, fun film.
While this film has quite a few stand-out moments that can be rather fun, there’s an early action sequence involving a fight against “phone zombies” - teenagers obsessed with their devices who have become a threat - that’s probably one of the best moments
of the film.
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is a high-concept, low budget sci-fi action-comedy that’s really fast-paced with an outspoken, satirical, anti-AI message. Now, even though the film’s overall plot can be a little chaotic and convoluted, it is still an ambitious watch and highly entertaining.
Cast: Sam Rockwell (The Man from the Future); Juno Temple (Susan); Haley Lu Richardson (Ingrid); Michael Pena (Mark); Zazie Beetz (Janet); Asim Choudrey (Scott); Tom Taylor (Tim); Georgia Goodman (Marie).
Writer/director: Matthew Robinson (writer) (Love and Monsters; Dora and the Lost City of Gold); Gore Verbinski (director) (A Cure for Wellness; The Lone Ranger; Rango; The Weather Man; Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3).
MPA: Rated R for pervasive language, violence, some grisly images and brief sexual content (runtime 132 minutes)
According to Gore Verbinski, the AI was deliberately written to be an emotionally-needy psychopathic manchild rather than cold and calculating like most AI villains (as a reflection of his views of AI being used as a substitute for real human connection and creativity).
Director Gore Verbinski attempted to shoot this film in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, but could not meet the budget numbers even with the cities' movie tax incentives. Production eventually began in South Africa in May 2024.
Director Gore Verbinski's 11th feature film, but his first in 8 years following the critical and commercial failure of A Cure for Wellness (2016). It is also his first independent film with a modest reported budget of $23 million.
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