Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die info:
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: Matthew Robinson
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, and Haley Lu Richardson
Intro
Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. We are less than a month away from the 98th Academy Awards, and I’m on a mission to try to see more of the best picture nominees. However, if I can’t… then I will try to fill my time with other films that pique my interest instead. This week is no different, as I got to fill my eyes and heart with a very unique piece of art.
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” will most likely be a film that people love or will give low ratings because they don’t understand it. This will also be one with a lot to discuss. So, let’s get my spoiler warning out of the way. If you haven’t seen this movie yet and don’t want to know what happens, then I would leave and come back another time in the future to read this. For everyone else, let’s step into this journey together and see what happens this time.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die recap
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” was directed by Gore Verbinski in his first major film in almost a decade. What was he doing for the last nine years? Not sure, but he’s back now, and that’s all that matters. I mean… how great was the original “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy in the 2000s? But this time, he’s back with a real trip that begins with Rockwell’s unnamed man from the future busting into a diner at 10:10 PM. His main objective is to gather a specific combination of people inside the diner to join him on his mission to save the future.
The kicker is, this is supposedly the 117th time he’s tried this, and each time before has led to failure. So, just like all the times before, he gathers a very mismatched crew. His “volunteers” this time around are dating couple Mark (Michael Peña) and Janet (Zazie Beetz), Scott (Asim Chaudhry), Marie (Georgia Goodman), and Bob (Daniel Barnett), along with the only true willing participant, Susan (Temple). The main difference, though, is the addition of Ingrid (Richardson), who has never been a part of the group until now. Perhaps this night will be different.
This is where we start to get very odd flashback stories of some of the group. Mark/Janet, Susan, and Ingrid, in particular, get a focused recap of events. As each one progresses, it fills in a little bit more of the story. Back in real time now…and a quick Bob death, the rest of the crew makes it out of the restaurant with the help of Susan and her “son” (see Susan’s backstory for more on that). Once out, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” starts to make more sense, but it also takes weird turns as well.
At each stop on their journey, they start to lose members of their group. Marie goes next, then Scott, then finally Mark and Janet. That just leaves Ingrid, and Susan left to finish the mission with the man from the future. The culmination of everything leads us to a giant cat creature with hooves and the end of their journey. The endgame is to stop a nine-year-old kid from creating AI that ruins the world.
But who would have thought he’d be sitting on top of a mountain of wires in an odd room filled with toys that would make Sid from Toy Story very happy. In the end, the final 3 just barely save the day… or do they? The final scene leads us to believe that it’s getting ready to happen all over again.
My thoughts on Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
To best describe how I feel about this movie, I want to take you on the roller coaster ride that my mind took while watching. Right out of the gate, I probably went in with too high expectations because I love Sam Rockwell. But shortly after it started, I felt vindicated in those feelings. Rockwell really rocks the start of “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” in a way only he can do. I loved the whole diner scene.
Then the story started to bounce around during the flashbacks, and I started to waver on those original thoughts. I feared that they blew all of their good material 20 minutes in. Then it shifted again as the backstories started to make sense, and several pieces started to fall into place. I was getting excited to see it all come together. But, once again, it took a turn with some real oddball type stuff happening… see giant cat creature again if you need further explanation.
Thankfully, in the end, it bounced back one more time and ended with an absolute bang! I love that the mission was completed, but maybe it wasn’t quite complete after all, so he goes back to try one more time. It was a neat reveal to find out that Ingrid was his mom… what a fun timeline surprise. Even though Rockwell was the biggest name on the cast, the entire team was an amazing supporting cast, and it led to some great conversations.
I’m not really sure what I expected to happen in “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” and I’m still not sure how anyone would know unless you watched it. But overall, it was a ride that was mostly fun with lots of funny moments and one-liners. The down swoops of the ride weren’t bad or long enough to put an overall damper on the film. So, with all of that, I give this a 7 out of 10.
Watch or wait?
Honestly… why not do both? I think if you run out to watch this in theaters, you will be happy. But, if this seems like something you wouldn’t fully understand, then maybe watching it at home later is a better idea for you. Option three, and the one I will do, is both. I’ve seen it in theaters, and I will most likely watch it at home in a few months as well.
Well, that’s it for me this week. So now it’s your turn. Have you seen “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” yet? If so, what is your initial reaction? Did your mind go on a roller coaster ride just like mine, or did it stay parked in the station? Are you a fan of Rockwell? If not, that may affect how much you enjoyed this movie. Everyone, stay warm, and I will be back next week with another mindless movie review of some sort.
