Gore Verbinski's latest, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, is as good of a movie as he's ever made. Written by Matthew Robinson, this sci-fi action comedy focuses on an unkempt, belligerent man (Sam Rockwell), who appears (out of nowhere) at an American small town diner. There, he declares to all the customers that he's from the future, and has come to save the world - only if some of them would help him in the endeavor. The movie unfolds quickly and brazenly, dazzling with its clever writing and seamless direction, until it concludes in a big bang of special/visual effects, pulling the rug from underneath us for who knows how many times.
The characters we meet along the way are equally fascinating. There's Mark (Michael Pena), a substitute teacher disillusioned by the modern day students constantly staring at their phones during class. We also meet Susan (Juno Temple), whose son is killed in a school shooting, a tragedy that makes her resort to making an odd, difficult choice. And last but not least, there's Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman who dresses as a Disney princess and works at children's parties, while intermittently bleeding from her nose anytime a cell phone intrudes her vicinity. All are three dimensional, complex characters, whose plight is as relevant and timely as ever.
The movie evokes the hyperkinetic sci-fi elements of 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once, a masterpiece of interdimensional travel that is equally complex and original. I realize that 2026 is barely underway, but Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is already on my "Best of" list, and I doubt that it'll be bumped off by December's end - regardless of the year's cinematic output.
☆☆☆☆
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