Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

"Time is running out. Are you ready to join the revolution?"

2026 2h 14m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 1,103

Science FictionActionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A 'Man from the Future' arrives at an LA diner where he must recruit the precise combination of disgruntled patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence.

“Time is running out. Are you ready to join the revolution?”

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Cast

Sam Rockwell
The Man from the Future
Juno Temple
Susan
Haley Lu Richardson
Ingrid
Michael Peña
Mark
Zazie Beetz
Janet
Asim Chaudhry
Scott
Tom Taylor
Tim
Georgia Goodman
Marie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Matthew Robinson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 49% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gore Verbinski, shot by James Whitaker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Geoff Zanelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Craig Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sam Rockwell and Juno Temple and Haley Lu Richardson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Time is running out. Are you ready to join the revolution?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gore Verbinski directs. James Whitaker behind the camera. Geoff Zanelli scores. Craig Wood cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 49% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
4Directed by Gore Verbinski, shot by James Whitaker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Geoff Zanelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Craig Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Sam Rockwell and Juno Temple and Haley Lu Richardson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Time is running out. Are you ready to join the revolution?".
9IMDB entry: tt1341338 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "artificial intelligence (a.i.)", "time travel", "diner", "transhumanism".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Whitaker
Original score: Geoff Zanelli
Editing: Craig Wood
Production design: David Brisbin
Costume design: Neil McClean
Makeup / hair: Marika Weber-Collop
Sound: Dan Gamache
Runtime: 134 min · 2h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $9,755,038
Return: 49% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

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Gore Verbinski

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-03-01
★ 7/10
In best Christopher Lloyd style, a man arrives in a busy diner claiming to be from the future. He (Sam Rockwell) also claims that this is the umpteenth time he has been to the place, at the same time, trying to recruit some of the diners to join him on a quest to thwart the ultimate takeover of society by an AI whizzkid. Of course they think he’s a few bricks short of a load, but when he reveals his detonator a few take notice. He already knows whom he wants, and whom he doesn’t and so armed with a reluctant band of “volunteers” and, for the first time, “Susan” (Juno Temple) off they set on a series of adventures that must keep them out of the reaches of the police and get them into the home of the young boy. Rockwell leads this entertainingly, if at times a little over-exuberantly, and he gels well with a Temple who wouldn’t have looked out of place atop a wedding cake. As their quest takes more shape, so does the message it makes no bones about delivering, and for any still sceptical about the manner in which mankind is sleepwalking into an artificially crafted, managed and controlled existence, this serves as a sharply written and potently acerbic critique on just how easy we might be manipulated in the future by the input of one innocent and fully functional young brain and machines that can thereafter write their own rules - for themselves and for us, too. A final plaudit has to go to the unnervingly menacing Artie Wilkinson-Hunt whose sparing contribution at the denouement gives the butter-wouldn’t-melt look on his face a distinctly unpleasant aftertaste. It is a bit long, and occasionally it does lose it’s way as we whittle down the characters, video-game style, but it’s an innovative story that ought to ring alarm bells.
Sierbahnn2026-05-05
★ 8/10
Highly entertaining and pressing This movie has spectacular casting, top to bottom, a plot that keeps you engaged, memorable and likable characters that makes the tension work, great direction, and a look that feels dynamic and real enough, even when it isn't. The message is poignant too, which is great, but even without it, this would be a grand movie. I highly recommend it.
Brent Marchant2026-08-16
★ 8/10
Some prognosticators these days are contending that humanity is headed for a plunge off the edge of a cliff from which there’s no return. Others have even said that we’re already past that point. Either way, it would seem we’re at a critical juncture, a turning point of potentially mammoth proportions. But can anything be done to save us? That’s the question posed in director Gore Verbinski’s latest offering, a wild, whacked out sci-fi satire about the unfolding collapse of mankind and the efforts of a seemingly crazed time traveler from the future (Sam Rockwell) to save humanity. This manic, eccentric protagonist unexpectedly shows up in a present day Los Angeles diner to recruit a team of combatants to help him battle an evil force that will set mankind on an irretrievably unalterable path going forward. The enemy is a nine-year-old computer whiz (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) who’s about to unleash a malignant form of AI that will lock us into an existence where everyone is hopelessly locked into the distractions of cell phones, social media, virtual reality and fascist AI, a paradigm enforced by relentless attack drones. With the help of seven ordinary individuals (all of them diner patrons who either volunteer or are unwittingly conscripted), the man from the future sets out on his quest to vanquish the enemy before it’s too late – an undertaking that he has apparently unsuccessfully attempted many times before. And, as this bizarre adventure unfolds, viewers are clued in on the back stories of several of these warriors and how their experiences have contributed to the emerging scenario. This includes the recent histories of Mark (Michael Peña) and Janet (Zazie Beetz), high school teachers who are unwittingly (and hysterically) confronted by a zombie-like student body involuntarily controlled by their cell phones, a segment reminiscent of “The Night of the Living Dead” (1968); Susan (Juno Temple), a middle-aged single mother who loses her son (Riccardo Drayton) in a school shooting but who is stunned when he is miraculously brought back to life as a clone (of sorts); and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a child’s birthday party entertainer who falls in love with a pizza deliveryman (Tom Taylor) who unsuspectingly becomes obsessed with virtual reality. These seemingly unrelated story threads ultimately become intertwined with one another as the film’s unlikely hero seeks to save the day. But can he? If this all sounds highly unusual, you’d be right – this is handily one of the strangest releases I’ve seen in ages. But it’s also one of the funniest, most outrageous tales I’ve ever seen committed to film. Besides the bitingly cynical and immensely creative humor served up here, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” imparts a decidedly important cautionary tale about us and our unknowing surrender to technology that may well end up taking us places we don’t want to go. There’s also an inherently strong metaphysical streak running through the narrative, particularly when it comes to the nature of alternate timelines and probable realities, not unlike themes played out in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) (but better explored here). Admittedly, this offering is a little overlong (especially in the final act), but, considering everything this title gets right (excellent performances, great special effects, big laughs), that’s easily overlooked. And it’s a fairly safe bet that the frantic nature of the picture and some of its edgy content won’t appeal to everyone. But those looking for something truly fresh, different and over the top while providing much to ponder, this one is clearly right up your alley. Keep that in mind the next time you speculate about the future – or step into your neighborhood diner.