Spoilers ahead for Netflix’s Don’t Say Good Luck!
Adam Sandler is a beloved actor and comedian, but he’s also an accomplished producer. Most of the best Sandler movies were produced by his company Happy Madison Productions, including the recent released that have arrived for those with a Netflix subscription. The company’s newest release is Julia Hart’s coming of age musical Don’t Say Good Luck, and we are not talking enough about how emotionally devastating that title is.
Don’t Say Good Luck‘s Rotten Tomatoes score is incredible, with both audiences and critics impressed by its emotionally moving tale. While it remains to be seen if it joins the ranks of musicals that have won Best Picture, it’s one of my favorite movies of the year and is by far the one that made me the most emotional. Yes, even more so than The Sheep Detectives.
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Don’t Say Good Luck Left Me Sobbing
Don’t Say Good Luck focuses on young actress Sophie (played by Sandler’s daughter Sunny), who was recently cast as the lead in her High School production of the musical Waitress. As a theater kid myself, this premise was enough to interest me, and I watched the new Netflix movie during its opening weekend on the streaming service.
While Sophie is preparing for her big audition, the real heart of the movie’s story is revealed. Namely that her mother Elizabeth, played by the always incredible Melanie Lynskey) is dying of cancer. The rest of the movie shows Sandler trying to rehearse and lead her cast, while also struggling with her mother’s health declining. And just like that, art and life intersect as Sophie plays an expecting mother herself.
While I’m generally someone who is emotionally available when watching movies, the level at which Don’t Say Good Luck moved me was something else. The two storylines intersected in beautiful ways, cumulating in the opening of night of Waitress happening during Elizabeth’s final days. It’s a master class in pacing and writing, and also showed what an incredible actress Sunny Sandler has become.
The movie’s ending offers a huge amount of catharsis and payoff, which is likely why I was left weeping as the credits rolled. The emotionality hits new heights at Sandler belts out Waitress’ 11 o’clock number “She Used To Be Mine,” with the lyrics taking new meaning as Sophie prepares for a life without her mother.
Overall I think that Don’t Say Good Luck is a perfectly crafted movie, and that the full cast crushed their heartbreaking performances. The movie is sure to affect anyone in grief, especially if they’ve lost someone to cancer. And it shows naysayers why musical theater has been a powerful force in American entertainment for so long.
Don’t Say Good Luck is streaming now on Netflix as part of the 2026 movie release list. And while Sunny Sandler had notable roles in Happy Gilmore 2 and You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah, I’m even more excited to her continued collaboration with her famous father after seeing her stellar performance in the movie musical.