out of 5)"Can you put your phones away, please?"
Director
Gore Verbinski
Cast
Sam Rockwell - the Man From the Future
Haley Lu Richardson - Ingrid
Michael Peña - Mark
Zazie Beetz - Janet
Juno Temple - Susan
Asim Chaudhry - Scott
Tom Taylor - Tim
Haley Lu Richardson - Ingrid
Michael Peña - Mark
Zazie Beetz - Janet
Juno Temple - Susan
Asim Chaudhry - Scott
Tom Taylor - Tim
Someone (I don't remember who) recommended the sci-fi comedy "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," directed by Gore Verbinski and released in February 2026. This movie is a depiction of the kinds of warnings that crazy guy on the bus might make, warnings that passersby would otherwise ignore and chalk up to drugs, schizophrenia, or just good ol' fashioned paranoid delusions. And the movie itself is crazy, outrageous, and very sensible.
In this movie, Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who barges in on an otherwise ordinary night at Norm's, a Los Angeles diner.
This man doesn't hesitate to claim to all the diner guests that humanity will be wiped out by artificial intelligence while humans are too engrossed in social media and internet scrolling to even notice.
However, only a small group of random ordinary people who happen to be eating at Norm's that night can do something about it.
The future man, with the help of what looks like a bomb strapped under his overcoat, convinces those seven people—Susan (Juno Temple), Scott (Asim Chaudhry), Janet (Zazie Beetz), Mark (Michael Peña), Marie (Georgia Goodman), Boy Scout leader Bob (Daniel Barnett), and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson)—to accompany him on his mission to stop AI.
So, off they go, chaotically across Los Angeles, through buildings and other random places, taking on random threats and obstacles just to reach a nine-year-old kid (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) who is developing computer code that will single-handedly trigger AI and destroy everybody.
 |
| Sam Rockwell as the Man from the Future in "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die." |
As I sat through this movie, engaged as soon as the first scene flashed before me, I couldn't help but be a little proud of myself for choosing to utilize what talent I may posses to comment on movies rather than allowing myself to be taken in by stupid TikTok videos.
"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is ridiculous, blunt, and insightful.
Its commentary on social media, the trail of absurdity it leaves behind, and it's take on the widespread pandemic of isolation spreading across the world is satirical in a way I can't quite compare to any other movie.
Sure, there are similar dark dystopian comedies that came to mind while I watched this one. "Brazil" from 1985 came initially to mind, followed by "They Live" (1988) and "Idiocracy" (2006). Also, for some reason, the film "The Truman Show" (1998) came to mind.
In a way, probably due to the weird nature of the story, this movie reminded me a little of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (2005). That also may be due to Sam Rockwell also starring in both films.
What really struck a nerve was how seemingly factual much of the absurdity is. For instance, in one part of the story, mindless teenagers at a local high school begin following Mark, a recently hired teacher, and his coworker Janet like a bunch of zombies entranced by their phones because Mark simply touched one of the students' phones while watching them scroll nonstop through mindless, pointless videos and images.
What really struck a nerve was how seemingly factual much of the absurdity is. For instance, in one part of the story, mindless teenagers at a local high school begin following Mark, a recently hired teacher, and his coworker Janet like a bunch of zombies entranced by their phones because Mark simply touched one of the students' phones while watching them scroll nonstop through mindless, pointless videos and images.
In another scene, Susan is approached by a small group of moms who are members of a support group after Susan's son is murdered in a school shooting. However, their support group is more like a country club who treat loss with barely any suitable emotion. These people are desensitized to the severity of murder and the pain of loss. It's a common characteristic throughout the movie.
The most painful depiction in the movie occurs when Ingrid's boyfriend, whom she loved deeply, decides to leave her and all of reality for a "better," albeit artificial, virtual reality where everything, including feelings and emotions, are synthetic.
The story strives to depict something about contemporary life that is above the mere observation that people spend too much time on their phones. Thanks to the saturation of social media, every person is treated like an island. No one really seems to know or care much about empathy, charity, compunction, or anything similar. All that seems to matter is a constant feed of likes, pointless scenarios, and other people's misfortunes recorded for everyone else's amusement.
And the only hero trying to rally some troops to not only save humanity but remind the world how to interact in reality is this time traveler who would otherwise be considered that crazy guy on the street corner shouting about the end of the world, or some such thing.
"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is directed by Gore Verbinski, who directed some pretty well-known movies, including "The Ring" (2002), "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Rango," and "The Cure for Wellness."
This is the kind of science fiction story I kind of wish I had thought of myself. I like the premise a lot. Nothing about it, and I mean nothing, is predictable. That is, I couldn't figure out where the movie was going as it nonchalantly takes more and more bizarre left turns as it progresses. It's a real trip!
The most painful depiction in the movie occurs when Ingrid's boyfriend, whom she loved deeply, decides to leave her and all of reality for a "better," albeit artificial, virtual reality where everything, including feelings and emotions, are synthetic.
The story strives to depict something about contemporary life that is above the mere observation that people spend too much time on their phones. Thanks to the saturation of social media, every person is treated like an island. No one really seems to know or care much about empathy, charity, compunction, or anything similar. All that seems to matter is a constant feed of likes, pointless scenarios, and other people's misfortunes recorded for everyone else's amusement.
And the only hero trying to rally some troops to not only save humanity but remind the world how to interact in reality is this time traveler who would otherwise be considered that crazy guy on the street corner shouting about the end of the world, or some such thing.
This is the kind of science fiction story I kind of wish I had thought of myself. I like the premise a lot. Nothing about it, and I mean nothing, is predictable. That is, I couldn't figure out where the movie was going as it nonchalantly takes more and more bizarre left turns as it progresses. It's a real trip!
What the movie hits right on the head, underneath all the craziness, is its satire of a society that makes itself more and more stupid and oblivious thanks to constant and consistent distractions.
Sam Rockwell's performance is perfect. He's committed to the insane claims of this guy from the future, who completely believes himself and, as it turns out, is absolutely right. He's not crazy at all.
He isn't treating the ridiculous and absurd things he's shouting as absurd or ridiculous. He believes he's living through a very real threat. That's one hell of a performance coming from Rockwell. I have to add his role as the man from the future to my mental list of favorite performances.
The movie so aptly points out that people just aren't really living together anymore. Rather, we're occupying the same space while still feeling isolated.
"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is a unique, nerve-hitting satire that wants its audience to pay attention through the absurdities. It gives it's audience a bittersweet laugh at themselves as society establishea and embraces such ripe conditions for our own dehumanization through our love affair with technology. Societies seem to prefer screens often than the company of other people. The AI apocalypse in the story is the logical conclusion of habits that already exist. If only we could just put the phone away for a while. I couldn't even avoid glancing at my phone while watching this.
He isn't treating the ridiculous and absurd things he's shouting as absurd or ridiculous. He believes he's living through a very real threat. That's one hell of a performance coming from Rockwell. I have to add his role as the man from the future to my mental list of favorite performances.
The movie so aptly points out that people just aren't really living together anymore. Rather, we're occupying the same space while still feeling isolated.
"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is a unique, nerve-hitting satire that wants its audience to pay attention through the absurdities. It gives it's audience a bittersweet laugh at themselves as society establishea and embraces such ripe conditions for our own dehumanization through our love affair with technology. Societies seem to prefer screens often than the company of other people. The AI apocalypse in the story is the logical conclusion of habits that already exist. If only we could just put the phone away for a while. I couldn't even avoid glancing at my phone while watching this.
The movie is funny because its absurd vision of society isn't all that absurd. There's almost a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor amidst all the ridiculous action and attempt to save humanity. In the end, it's all a big pile of tangled wires, electricity, flashing lights, and useless gadgetry.
I do love a good satire. This hit the spot!
I do love a good satire. This hit the spot!
