A greasy spoon diner somewhere in CA: a place of peace, refuge from a hard day. Cut to a homeless man busting down the door, saying he needs recruits to hunt down a 9-year-old boy who will start the AI apocalypse.
Of course, the man apparently isn’t actually homeless, his scuzzy exterior matches the style for the future; the man explicitly lets you know that. The framing scene for Gore Verbinski’s “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is one that leaves the viewer wondering if The Man—nameless throughout the film—is a rambling schizoid or actually an anti-cyber warrior.
From the opening scene, Verbinski expands our world outside the diner into an exciting, yet shockingly realistic, cast of characters. One of the main parts of the film is exploring the characters’ backstories before their involvement in The Man’s scheme. Delving into each character’s lives adds a depth to their motivation and reasoning as to why they are best suited for the AI takedown. We have Mark and Janet: two teachers fighting to maintain relevance in their pupil’s screen addicted lives, Susan: a single mother who just wants to see her son again, and Ingrid: a mildly-suicidal party princess with a WiFi allergy. Within their exposition, these characters become real; representations of any modern day neo-Luddite (emphasis on Lite), one who could embrace technology if it weren’t for…well, everything.
As the movie’s plot advances, we learn about The Man’s reasoning for his mission, and this is where the movie falls short. Although still entertaining, the plot twist that Verbinski sets up through this movie becomes blatantly obvious, reducing its reveal in the climax to one of less emotional value.
In spite of the anti-climatic plot twist, the movie still manages to be shockingly emotional, mainly through witnessing each character develop over the 134 minute run time. All actors in the film play the roles well; from tears of grief, to explosive bouts of anger, they manage to do it all. Haley Lu Richardson as Ingrid is the star in this category. She plays the role as an aimless 20-something with such earnestness, that it makes you forget that she managed to afford a two-bedroom apartment on a princess-for-hire salary.
Although costume design clearly isn’t a core part of the movie, costume designer Neil McClean was able to bring the main cast to life with his designs. Each characters’ outfit matches both profession and personality. However, the costume design for the zombified teenagers falls short. Although the movie supposedly takes place in 2026, everyone’s outfits appear to be straight out of American Apparel’s 2017 clothing collection with high-waisted skinny jeans and Van slip-ons. Although they may just be background characters, the least Verbinski could do is make them look like modern-day teens. Less skinny jeans, more Lululemon. But, the main cast’s outfits do reflect their personalities and professions.
Overall, Verbinski succeeds in making a comedic satirization about the dangers of AI. The characters are lovable and any audience will grow attached to any of the main group. This movie is fun and a great watch for anyone who loves cynical comedy.
