GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE is a 2025 sci-fi action comedy drama film directed by the talented Gore Verbinski, from a screenplay by Matthew Robinson. The film premiered at the 2025 Fantastic Fest film festival.
A "Man From the Future" (Sam Rockwell) arrives at a diner in Los Angeles where he must recruit the precise combination of disgruntled patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence.
The cast includes Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chandhry, Tom Taylor, and Juno Temple.
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE made its debut in theaters February 13th, courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment.
First and foremost, I love me some Sam Rockwell. He has to be one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, at least in my opinion. He did get some well deserved acknowledgment for his performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri which earned him a Best Supporting Actor award, but that movie was honestly just a tip with the iceberg for him, even though it was one of my favorite performances. Rockwell is just one of those actors that has such a unique feel in terms of his delivery, which is most often best utilized in dark comedies. The trailer for GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE with Rockwell in the lead role, had me absolutely sold as a movie I needed to see on opening night.
I feel like it’s also worth giving a little bit of background on director Gore Verbinski, who is a super creative talent, albeit probably a bit off his rocker. He directed the original The Ring film way back in 2002, followed by the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a couple years later. I’m a huge horror fan, and I stand by the fact that The Ring holds up as one of the better horror films in the last 25 years honestly. It was just really messed up and super well done in terms of how dark and just how raw it felt. I was interested to see what a director like Verbinski would do with a unique sci-fi action film like this.
Bottom line, GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE is an awesome film. The trailer gives you a pretty good idea in terms of just how wacky it is, but man it is just so well done and just so interesting from start to finish. Sam Rockwell is without a doubt the glue that holds the performances together, but the film has a super talented cast. I mean you got Juno temple, Michael Peña, Haley Lou Richardson, and Zazie Beets headlining the rest of the cast.
Rockwell‘s massive personality is a big part of what drive the narrative of the film, but the story unfolds in such a way that you get background for the other characters that sort of allows them the opportunity to stand on their own as well. It’s crazy because as far as the cast goes, this is pretty much perfect for me because I love everyone in this film. Michael Peña has been my guy for as long as I can remember, and Haley Lou Richardson is having a very intriguing career and man, she is just great here. The entire cast honestly really delivered, even some of the more unknown smaller roles in the film.
In the age of social media and AI, I feel like GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE has an original story that we can all relate to. In the film’s opening scene Rockwell‘s character talks about how our obsession with smartphones and social media has basically turned us into idiots and that is a big reason why the human race goes to the wayside in the future. He talks about how our mindless scrolling has ruined our ability for critical thinking, which I 1000% agree with.
It’s funny because having young kids who demand a lot of my attention, recently I have personally felt this tug-of-war of wasting time on my phone that should be spent more constructively, so the film really spoke to me which added to my overall intrigue right from the jump. Social media is just part of it, ultimately the films primary antagonist is artificial intelligence (A.I.), and what is considered to be unrestricted power.
Obviously the premise of a guy supposedly from the future dressed like a B-list Ghostbusters character walking into a diner to recruit random strangers to help him save the world is as wacky as it gets, but finding a way to weave in elements of the story that viewers can legitimately relate to just speaks to Verbinski‘s genius. There are so many layers to GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE and honestly many of them come by surprise.
The story unravels in a chapter format so that viewers get to go back a few days and get backstory for each of the main characters and how their story impacts the primary narrative of the film. That being said, the film is all over the place with some crazy bonkers things that happen. More than anything else, it is absolutely hilarious pretty much from start to finish. I just had so much fun with this movie, and even the final act was equally hilarious and concerning as we continue our obsession with A.I. This is for sure a repeat viewing sort of film so that you can appreciate all of the little nuggets you may have overlooked the first time.
THE VERDICT
A wildly hilarious sci-fi comedy drama that is unpredictable and intensely unapologetic, GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE is easily the must-see film of the year. Director Gore Verbinski does not hold back letting audiences know exactly how he feels about technology and our growing reliance on artificial intelligence, and I have to say the man makes some convincing points.
If nothing else let this film be a reminder to get off your phones and enjoy life, and have some face to face human contact for a change. And while you’re at it be sure to see GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE in theaters! I absolutely cannot wait to see it again, and I am convinced it will only get better with multiple viewings.
TED TAKES RATING - 8.8/10
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.