Lynskey, Sandler Anchor Bittersweet 'Don't Say Good Luck'
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- Julia Hart directed the 95-minute 'Don't Say Good Luck,' co-writing the script with her husband/producer Jordan Horowitz and Laura Hankin, whose own experience of a mother's cancer diagnosis while pursuing a high school musical role inspired the project.
- Sunny Sandler stars as Sophie Birenbaum, a high school student whose mother Elizabeth's cancer recurrence is revealed via her father's random phone butt-dial — and who simultaneously lands the lead in her school's 'Waitress' production.
- Melanie Lynskey plays mother Elizabeth in a cast rounded out by Max Greenfield as patriarch Ted (owner of a local bagel shop), Eitan Friedman and Matan Friedman as Sophie's brothers, and Scarlett Estevez as best friend Carolyn.
- Steve Buscemi and Bebe Neuwirth appear as Elizabeth's parents, whose bewilderment at why Sophie is allowed to perform during her mother's illness captures how outsiders often misunderstand embracing life 'no matter the timing,' the review says.
- Netflix begins streaming 'Don't Say Good Luck' on Friday, August 14.
Why it matters: Co-writer Laura Hankin's lived experience of a mother battling cancer while her daughter lands a major school musical role anchors the mother-daughter storyline in emotional specificity the review argues is rare in straight-to-streaming pictures built around breakout casts. Its August 14 Netflix date gives Hart a 95-minute platform for a small-scale character drama rather than a spinoff or franchise piece.
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