I love Sam Rockwell. He's probably my favorite performer. His characters and film choices are always a little offbeat and weird in the best way.
A newer film: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die; is no exception to that. Rockwell plays an unnamed man from the future. He arrives at a diner in the movie's present with the goal of preventing the creation of AI. All he needs is the right combination of volunteers to do this. Something he's failed 116 times before.
On this particular try, he assembles Ingrid, Mark, Janet, Scott, Marie, and Bob. Is this the right combination? Throughout the movie you learn the backstories of his new companions and how technology has affected their lives so far.
The movie is a dark and quirky comedy with a lot of sci-fi adventure. Things get outlandish, but there's a heart at the center of the story. And a warning of becoming too distracted by and reliant on technology.
The cast is rounded out by other brilliant performers like Asim Chaudhry, Juno Temple, Zazie Beetz, Michael Peña, and Haley Lu Richardson. Haley Lu is in particular impressive in her role as Ingrid. She is the heart of the story I mentioned. She grounds the absurd stuff happening around her and works well with Rockwell. I've seen her in quite a few other movies and am always impressed with her performances.
I went into the movie with moderate expectation. I knew the cast was impressive and the basic premise sounded interesting. It ended up surpassing those expectations and was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed. It had some (at times dark) comedy, a lot of humanity, some really weird stuff, and interesting characters.
If you like dark comedies with something to say about our world, I'd highly recommend this one. I won't comment on the believability of the sci-fi, it's not something I usually pay attention to. I'm more focused on character than plot. But, it is a fun ride.
