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Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)


Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Matthew Robinson, who clearly has never been in a classroom. He writes students and teachers through the lens of what social media portrays them as rather than how they actually behave. The movie is trying to build character development, but it's clear within the first five seconds who these people are. Instead of letting the plot move forward, the movie spends way too much time developing characters that didn't need nearly that much development. As a teacher, I found myself rolling my eyes, both metaphorically and literally, more times than I could count.

The message is front and center throughout the movie, and no amount of talent can really distract from the bad writing. It isn't until around the twenty-minute mark that the movie finally gets back to the actual plot. By that point, the unnecessary character development and side stories have already dragged things down. The movie clearly wants you to understand its message, but it spends so much time making sure you understand it that it forgets to actually tell an engaging story.

Sam Rockwell is completely unhinged and easily the best part of the film. Whenever he's on screen, the movie becomes considerably more entertaining. Unfortunately, he's surrounded by side characters and side plots that ultimately go nowhere. There's nothing inherently wrong with having supporting characters, but when so much time is spent developing them without giving those storylines a meaningful payoff, it just feels like wasted screen time.

Zazie Beetz is pretty good here and manages to work with the material she's given. Michael Peña, on the other hand, brings the movie down rather than up, which is the opposite of what he did in Ant-Man. His performance doesn't have the same energy or charm, and he ends up becoming another weak point in an already uneven cast.

Overall, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die has some talent behind it, and Sam Rockwell is genuinely entertaining, but the writing is its biggest problem. The unnecessary character development, pointless side plots, and heavy-handed messaging keep getting in the way of what could have been a much more focused movie. As someone who actually works in a classroom, the portrayal of students and teachers made it especially difficult for me to take seriously. Result: C-

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