In theaters now from Briarcliff Entertainment!
Directed by Gore Verbinski.
Written by Matthew Robinson.
Check out the trailer here!!
A man who claims he is from the future (played by Sam Rockwell) enters a LA diner and says he has come to save the world. Among the 40 people in the diner, he must gather some random combination of them to go on a mission to save humanity from Artificial Intelligence that has been slowly taking over the world under our noses. If they don’t find a 9-year-old boy and stop him from doing whatever he is doing, humanity is doomed. Of course, no one believes him and returns their gazes to their smart phones, but the man from the future says he’s serious and wearing a bomb. If a group of them don’t come with him, he will blow up the place. The man from the future claims he has done this scenario over a hundred times before, returning to the diner to start this quest, but tonight feels different and once he gets his group together, they embark on an adventure like no other for the sake of the world.
Gore Verbinski came out and saw his shadow this year, so he decided to make a new movie. His last film, A CURE FOR WELLNESS, wasn’t a huge success when it was released way back in 2016, but his work on THE RING and THE PIRATES OF THE CARRIBBEAN franchise still makes me perk up when I hear his name attached to a project. After seeing the quirky trailer in theaters, I knew I had to check this one out asap. And I’m glad I did, as GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE was as astounding work of cinema that should not be missed.
The film is structured almost like an anthology, where the man from the future and his gang make their way across LA serves as the glue, and short stories are told about the members of the group that follows him. In each story, a little bit about the group members and why they are important to this story are revealed. In many ways, the film plays out like four BLACK MIRROR episodes all tied together, all dealing with a different aspect of how technology is taking over our lives. Teachers Mark and Janet (Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz) work in a high school and struggle with teenagers more interested in their screens than learning anything. Distraught mother Susan (Juno Temple) just lost her son to a school shooting and is presented with the means to get her dead son back through new technology. And Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson) is the first human being allergic to Wi-Fi and electronics, causing her to avoid technology all together. But when her boyfriend Tim (Tom Taylor) receives a VR headset in the mail, he becomes enamored with virtual reality more than the real one. Finally, the man from the future tells his story of a world overrun by machines and all free will as we know it has disappeared. These four stories are as varied as they come, but all convey the same message the BLACK MIRROR series does—Technology can be our friends, but if you don’t watch out, it can be our ends. See what I did there?
Told at a manic pace that doesn’t waste a minute, this two hour and fourteen-minute film flies by quickly. The film never gives the viewer a chance to rest as Rockwell and his gang are on the run from the very first seconds of the film. The backstory is filled in along the way, just at the right time we need that information, making this film that is broken up into four pieces feel seamlessly put together. Each backstory has something tragic, hilarious, and horrifying going on, resulting in a film that literally flips and twirls your emotions every few minutes. By the end of this film, I was invigorated by the amazing imagery, which I will get to in a minute, but also exhausted at the range of emotion this film wrung out of me.
Filmmaker Gore Verbinski channels his inner Terry Gilliam for GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE. The sights, sounds, creatures, and colors seen in this film are like few you’ve seen before. Yes, there are elements of 12 MONKEYS and THE FISHER KING here, but whereas those films tried to tell a smaller tale with big ramifications, GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE goes big every step of the way, yet never falters from bringing a human element to it all. There are some extremely touching scenes here among the fireworks, some that are going to leave a mark on your heart. But that’s just part of this wonderful rollercoaster ride of a movie. There are things in this film that are almost indescribable. Yet with all of this spectacle, Verbinski never lets the reigns slip and always grounds this film in reality.
Much of this has to do with this cast. Sam Rockwell is an actor that has delivered one iconic performance after another, but here he switches from downright goofball to slapstick clown, to heartwarming loser, to purpose driven madman with ease. The guy should be a much bigger star than he is, but in my book, he’s one of the best working today. There is just something likable about every role he plays, but here as the man from the future, he is a never-wavering being of hope that somehow, he is going to beat this thing, no matter how many times he has to repeat this scenario.
Among Rockwell’s group are some greats as well. Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz’s story is less serious as most but sets the tone for this quirky film well. It’s fun seeing these two on the edge of a relationship together, not knowing whether their affections are going to die on the vine or blossom. It was great seeing Juno Temple in a much more reserved role than I am used to seeing her in. It took me a second to recognize her with normal hair and acting like a stressed-out mom. Temple’s Susan is integral to this story and some of the more heart-breaking scenes rely on her performance alone. There is a scene she is in that is so absurdly laugh out loud funny, yet utterly terrifying that makes for the most nightmarish and entertaining bit in the film. Finally, newcomer, at least to me, Haley Lu Richardson is phenomenal as the enigmatic Princess Ingrid, leading the way. She has nothing to live for, and her story is tragic but seeing her slowly find something to fight for is absolutely uplifting. Richardson has the chops to be a big star.
You’re going to laugh, cry, jump back in your chair, and say “God DAMN!” multiple times while watching GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE. It’s one of those all-around entertaining films that crosses genres and enlightens minds, where you don’t know what’s coming next and are continuously dazzled, shocked, or terrified as to what it turns out to be. The message that AI is slowly overcoming our lives is a good one—one that should be listened to. This film resonates on multiple levels, but in the end, it’s a last plea for humanity to look up from your screens and do something about it! So, stop reading this and be sure to go out and find some way to watch GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE. Don’t just sit there! Go!
