On the brink of stardom and on the verge of tragedy, Don’t Say Good Luck is an emotional narrative that brings you through the anguish this teenager must endure to follow the spotlight that is left for her to discover. While beginning to struggle through the many challenges that life throws at us is painful, but when you have to experience these issues at a young age, growing up is what we must do.
Sophie Birenbaum (Sunny Sandler), a seventeen-year-old high school student wanting to be a part of the school’s historic theater renditions, has to find out things the hard way when she begins her auditions toward being great. Facing the fear that her mother, Elizabeth Birenbaum (Melanie Lynskey), might not be there for her during the trials and tribulations of her life, puts lots of added weight on to her shoulders. Her father Ted Birenbaum (Max Greenfield), owner of a local deli with his father Lenny (Jon Lovitz), operates one of the town’s popular lunch cafes and has many things he must juggle as his wife Elizabeth starts to undergo her own misery. With help or maybe a sidetrack, Elizabeth’s parents, Linda (Bebe Neuwirth), Elizabeth’s mother and Sophie’s grandmother, and Dale (Steve Buscemi), Elizabeth’s father and Sophie’s grandfather become more involved in their lives. 
When the play readings begin, Sophie and her best friend Carolyn Morales (Scarlett Estevez), wait to see where they will be chosen. Going up against popular students Mallory Sinclair (Elyse Bell), theater friend, and Jack Davis (Jack Champion), Sophie’s crush, will be difficult for her to overcome. The school’s theater production teacher, Mrs. Parker (Stephanie Beatriz) has a tough job of finding the right talent for her new hit, “Waitress”, and to become part of the school’s longtime success. Now just finding out that her homelife issues may become a big part of her life, Sophie also sees Carolyn’s new friend, Erin (Emma McNulty) as a distraction.
This film deals with issues that many families may face and director and writer, Julia Hart has the demanding task of showing the realism each character must display to get her message across to the audience. Having to successfully present this intricate part to your viewers, she develops an outstanding demonstration of this complicated story. Managing a young cast can be difficult, but she is able to help Sunny and the others to bring out their best. The hard role Sunny had was a fantastic presentation of her character’s understanding and went even further with her amazing musical talents she displayed throughout the tale. Getting magnificent support from the entire crew, especially Melanie, Max, Steve, Bebe, Stephanie, and Scarlett, helped this picture become a Netflix hit.
One of the internet streaming services biggest films of the year, “Don’t Say Good Luck”, is worth the time to see. Giving us a heartbreaking script that helps us understand the feelings these people are going through, Julia brings out our compassion toward this family during their time of sorrow. This should definitely be considered for something when the awards are given out early next year, and a guaranteed step up for this young magnificent actress (Sunny Sandler). 
Final Comment: I based my grade on the wondrous musical performance, and a marvelous storyline.
Stars 4 out of 5
Additional Film Information
Cast: Sunny Sandler, Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Bebe Neuwirth, and Steve Buscemi.
Directed and written by: Julia Hart
Genre: Drama, and Musical.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some strong language, teen drinking and sexual references.
Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Release Date: August 14, 2026
Distributed By: Netflix
Release In: Streaming
