Netflix's new film Don't Say Good Luck has become a hit with viewers, and its heartbreaking real-life inspiration has now been revealed. The coming-of-age comedy drama follows Sophie Birenbaum as she lands the lead role in her secondary school musical while dealing with drama at home.
At the time of writing, the film is the second most-watched title among UK subscribers, just behind the sci-fi mystery The Last House. It stars Sunny Sadler, daughter of comedian Adam Sandler, who has appeared in several of her father's films. Sandler is also a producer on the project and shared a video on social media showing viewers in tears after watching, captioned: "POV you just watched Don't Say Good Luck."
Personal Experience Behind the Script
The screenplay was co-written by director Julia Hart and writer Laura Hankin, drawing on Hankin's own life. During her high school years, Hankin got the lead in a musical while her mother's cancer returned. She wrote the script to celebrate her fellow theatre enthusiasts and to honour her mother.
Much of this personal experience is reflected in the film, including thoughts of withdrawing, struggling to enjoy rehearsals, and how her mother attended the performance. Hankin notes that she and her father remember the details differently—her mother either watched a dress rehearsal or the actual performance. Tragically, she died just weeks later.
Real-Life Musical and Fictional Changes
In reality, the production was Moby Dick! The Musical, a play within a play about a Catholic girls' school. For the film, Hankin chose Waitress, a musical with themes about mothers and daughters, which she felt was a perfect match. She told the You've Got Mail Substack: "This is perfect because it has all these layers about mothers and daughters and going through these things that you're not sure you can handle."
Some elements were fictionalised for the film, such as adding an extra brother, changing the family's town, and altering their business. Hankin also makes a brief cameo, with her shoulder visible and her voice heard as an English teacher.
Don't Say Good Luck is now streaming on Netflix.
