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A MAN walks into a diner’ might seem like the beginning of a joke but here it begins the premise of new sci-fi comedy ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’, directed by ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’s’ Gore Verbinski.
The man in question is an unnamed time traveller played by Sam Rockwell, and it’s the 118th time he’s entered said LA diner. He is on a mission to find the right combination of patrons to help him save the world. See, back where he’s from, society has crumbled because no-one was paying attention as they were all too enraptured with their phones so now it’s our – bizarrely dressed
Enlisting a rag-tag group of people, including husband and wife team Mark and Janet (Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz), Uber driver Scott (Asim Chaudry) grieving mother Susan (Juno Temple), and loner Ingrid (Hayley Lu Richardson), who is ironically allergic to technology, the band set out to save the future.
A barn-storming opening – which sees Rockwell enter the diner and hold court like a crazed TV game show host – is fun and introduces us to our protagonists while also getting exposition out of the road. The main ire within Matthew Robinson’s script is directed at the rising use of AI and how it will be the planet’s demise. Nothing new of course; I could name ten different films which do the same and are most likely referenced in ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ in one fashion or another. Off the top of my head, I would say ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ owes a debt to ‘Twelve Monkeys, ‘The Terminator’, ‘Weapons’, ‘Back to the Future’, ‘Day of the Dead’, ‘Black Mirror’ and even ‘Toy Story.’
After the initial setup, we’re offered some characters’ backstories which deal with subjects including cloning, the hook of social media and school shootings. It’s during these sequences where ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ offers up some dirty, twisted and dark moments laced with jet black humour, as well as some gore thrown in for good measure. It all leads to a very strange end sequence which lasts about 35 minutes and, again ironically, features the heavy use of technology to try and prove it’s points about the dangers of technology.
Verbinski directs well and Robinson’s script is certainly a timely one given the age in which we live.
Thing is: The film isn’t as zany as it makes out (a CGI cat peeing glitter is a standout) and the ideas in Robinson’s treatise have all been done better in the films he references.
That isn’t to say you won’t have fun, as it has plenty to enjoy with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. However the potential to double down on said moments sadly isn’t taken.
Papering over any cracks are the performances with Rockwell’s effortless charm shining through his raincoat and beard while Beetz and Pena are good value and Richardson nails the ‘tough loner with a heart of gold’ vibe.
So, good luck in enjoying the movie, you’ll certainly have fun – but you won’t die laughing.
