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-

Comments

One Night Only (2026)

One Night Only is a romantic comedy written by Travis Braun , creator of T.O.T.S. , that ultimately turns out to be something very different from what its marketing suggests. The trailers present it as a lighthearted Valentine's Day romance, but the film quickly pivots into a dystopian story that blends elements of The Purge with overt political commentary. Whether that shift works will largely depend on the viewer's expectations, but I found the bait-and-switch frustrating. The political messaging is so persistent that it frequently overshadows the romance at the center of the story. Despite that, the direction from Will Gluck is surprisingly strong, with confident staging and solid pacing that keep the film engaging even when the screenplay becomes heavy-handed. Gluck did Anyone But You and the romance really felt similar to the point I couldn't help but think of the film even though I had forgotten he had done the film back in '23. Another distraction is the amou...

We Bury The Dead (2026)

We Bury The Dead (2026) is a slow burn post apocalypse film centered on grief more than horror. Directed by Zak Hilditch , best known for smaller projects like 1922 and Rattlesnake , this is his first step into a larger American production. You can feel the restraint in the direction, sometimes to the film’s benefit and sometimes to its detriment. The pacing is deliberate, almost stubbornly so, and while the mood is consistent, it rarely escalates into anything memorable. Daisy Ridley , best known for Star Wars: The Force Awakens , carries the film as a woman searching for her missing husband who may or may not have turned into a zombie. Ridley is solid and emotionally grounded, doing the best she can with minimal dialogue and long stretches of quiet reflection. Her performance is never the problem. If anything, she is the primary reason the movie remains watchable. The supporting cast is where the film struggles. Nearly every side character is written as painfully one note, existi...

Insidious: Out of the Further (2026)

Insidious: Out of the Further is written and directed by Jacob Chase , who has made some solid shorts in the past but is making the first major motion picture of his that I've seen. There is very little to criticize about his direction, particularly when it comes to setting up scares. Chase understands how to build tension and makes especially good use of the film's more claustrophobic scenes, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere without relying entirely on cheap jump scares. The direction and horror setup are the film's strongest elements, even if the overall story doesn't quite reach the level needed for a full recommendation. Amelia Eve delivers a performance that feels reminiscent of Naomi Watts in The Ring . She channels that same exhausted and increasingly desperate energy, making her character feel convincing as the supernatural events escalate around her. The performance fits the tone of the franchise well and helps ground the film's more unsettling momen...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog