Sci-Fi Satire 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' Offers Bleak Warnings

Director Gore Verbinski's film puts an inspired script through its paces as a crazy prophet comes to a diner in search of disciples to help save the world.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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In Gore Verbinski's dark comedy 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die', Sam Rockwell plays a time traveler who barges into a Los Angeles diner and tries to recruit a group of strangers to help him prevent the impending apocalypse. The film is a savage and surprising satire that explores how technology and social media have eroded society, with the director taking aim at everything from corporate greed to school shootings and digital addiction.

Why it matters

The film serves as a bleak, cynical commentary on the state of the modern world, with Verbinski holding up a mirror to the audience and challenging them to confront the uncomfortable truths about the negative impacts of technology and social media. While the film's tone is often over-the-top and darkly comedic, its underlying message about the potential dangers of our over-reliance on digital devices and online platforms is a sobering one.

The details

Rockwell's time-traveling prophet delivers a dire warning to the diner patrons, foretelling that half the world will die while the other half will be too distracted to notice. He tries to recruit a reluctant group of strangers, including teachers, a ride-share driver, and a jittery mom, to help him fight for humanity's freedom. As the group embarks on their mission, the film intercuts their story with flashbacks to the characters' ordinary lives, revealing the ways in which technology has eroded their connections and humanity. The film explores themes of surveillance, corporate greed, and the desensitization of society, with Verbinski taking aim at everything from the epidemic of school shootings to the rise of toxic online behavior.

  • The film is set in the present day, with the time-traveling prophet claiming to have visited the diner 117 times.

The players

Sam Rockwell

An acclaimed actor who plays the role of the time-traveling prophet in the film.

Gore Verbinski

The director of the film, known for his work on the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise.

Matthew Robinson

The screenwriter who penned the film's funny, savage, and surprising script.

Michael Peña

An actor who plays one of the reluctant recruits, a public school teacher named Mark.

Haley Lu Richardson

An actress who plays Ingrid, a grungy girl in a princess dress who joins the group on their mission.

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What they’re saying

“I am from the future and all of this goes horribly wrong!”

— Sam Rockwell's character, Time-traveling prophet

“Why would I choose this world over that one?”

— Tim, Gig worker

The takeaway

With its bleak, satirical vision of a technology-driven dystopia, 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of our over-reliance on digital devices and online platforms. The film challenges the audience to confront the uncomfortable truths about the erosion of human connection and the potential for technology to exacerbate societal problems, leaving viewers with a sense of unease and a renewed appreciation for the value of being unplugged.