In the new Netflix film “Don’t Say Good Luck,” Sunny Sandler plays Sophie Birenbaum, a high school theater kid with a lot on her plate.
The good news: She has landed the lead role of Jenna in her school’s production of “Waitress,” opposite her crush, Jack (Jack Champion).
The bad news: Her mother’s cancer has returned.
How can Sophie savor one of the most exciting moments of her life while confronting the possibility of losing her mother? One moment, she is watching her mother vomit after treatment; the next, she is onstage kissing Jack a little longer than the scene requires.
Inspired by screenwriter Laura Hankin’s own experience of starring in a high school musical while her mother battled cancer, “Don’t Say Good Luck” understands that joy and grief don’t arrive separately. Sometimes, they demand to be felt at the same time.
Sunny Sandler has a great singing voice
Sandler shows off her impressive voice in “When He Sees Me” and harmonizes beautifully with Champion on “It Only Takes a Taste.” She also delivers a restrained version of Katy Perry’s “Firework” before one bad decision catches up with her. But it is her performance of “She Used to Be Mine,” the emotional centerpiece of “Waitress,” that proves unforgettable.
The musical is based on the 2007 film “Waitress,” starring Keri Russell as Jenna, a gifted pie-maker trapped in an unhappy marriage who becomes pregnant and begins an affair with her obstetrician, Dr. Pomatter. Featuring music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, the stage adaptation opened on Broadway in 2016 with Jessie Mueller in the lead role and ran until 2020 before returning for a limited engagement in 2021.
Sophie’s school production mirrors her own life in poignant ways: Jenna must keep moving forward even as the future she imagined begins to fall apart.
A loving family in a painful situation
Steve Buscemi brings a gentle warmth to Dale, Sophie’s grandfather, who at one point comically pretends that a mezuzah is a doorbell. Best known for playing menacing and morally complicated characters, including mobster Nucky Thompson on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” Buscemi shows his softer side as a loving grandfather trying to support his family through an impossible situation.
Sandler shares wonderful chemistry with Melanie Lynskey, who plays her mother, Elizabeth. Their relationship is the film’s emotional core, and Lynskey captures both Elizabeth’s vulnerability and her determination not to let her illness consume her daughter’s life.
Max Greenfield is equally charming as Sophie’s father, Ted, who runs the family deli. Stephanie Beatriz is pitch-perfect as Ms. Parker, the teacher who recognizes Sophie’s talent while understanding just how much her student is carrying. Jon Lovitz also makes the most of a small role, while Matan and Eitan Friedman bring sweetness and humor as Sophie’s younger brothers, Caleb and Ethan.
A difficult balancing act
Coming-of-age stories about illness can easily become sappy or melodramatic. But director Julia Hart, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hankin and Jordan Horowitz, keeps the film on course with a thoughtful script and actors who approach the material with care.
The movie allows Sophie to behave like a real teenager rather than turning her into a perfectly composed symbol of grief. She is distracted, impulsive and sometimes selfish. She is interested in Jack, even after witnessing something that leaves her questioning him. She makes mistakes at the worst possible moments. None of that means she loves her mother any less.
Sandler and Lynskey are especially convincing in the film’s most emotionally demanding scenes. A late exchange between them could easily have felt manipulative, but their performances are so tender and authentic that it earns its tears.
Sandler proves she is ready for the spotlight
Anyone inclined to dismiss Sandler as a “nepo baby” because her father is comedy superstar Adam Sandler should revisit her performance in 2023’s “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.”
That film, which also starred her father and sister Sadie, gave Sandler a lighter showcase. “Don’t Say Good Luck” asks much more of her.
Without her famous family members appearing alongside her, Sandler gets the spotlight entirely to herself — and proves she deserves it. She handles emotionally draining scenes with impressive maturity, while also displaying a natural sense of comic timing. Most importantly, she makes Sophie feel like a recognizable teenager rather than a precocious young actor performing sadness.
Although Sophie’s Jewish identity is not central to the story, it is woven into the background through details like the mezuzah and her father’s deli. It would have been nice to see that identity explored more meaningfully, but the Birenbaums still feel recognizably Jewish without the film pausing to explain or emphasize it.
Sandler’s parents, Adam and Jackie Sandler, produced the movie, but their involvement never overshadows their daughter’s performance.
Short, sweet and satisfying
At 95 minutes, “Don’t Say Good Luck” moves briskly, occasionally at the expense of its supporting characters. Greenfield’s talents are somewhat underused, and another scene between Ted and Sophie would have deepened their relationship. The subplots involving Sophie’s best friend and her grandmother Linda, played by Bebe Neuwirth, also could have used more room to breathe. Elyse Bell is excellent as Sophie’s friend and rival Mallory, but she, too, disappears too quickly.
Still, the film’s simplicity is part of its appeal. In an era dominated by superheroes, elaborate franchises and overwrought love triangles, “Don’t Say Good Luck” feels like a throwback: a sincere, self-contained story about a teenager, her family and the school musical that gives her somewhere to put her grief.
There are no wild action sequences or shocking twists, and only a small amount of cursing. The stakes come entirely from family, illness and the pressures of high school — and that proves to be more than enough.
Yes, the movie includes a few familiar characters, including an overenthusiastic theater kid and an easily distracted techie. But its clichés never overwhelm its emotional honesty. In less capable hands, the story could have been unbearably sentimental. Instead, “Don’t Say Good Luck” tugs at the heartstrings without yanking them.
It will be exciting to see what Sandler does next. Young actresses face enormous pressure in Hollywood, especially when one of their parents is an icon. So far, Sandler appears to be handling that pressure in stride and seizing the opportunity to prove that she is talented, funny and remarkably relatable.
No matter what kinds of movies you usually enjoy, “Don’t Say Good Luck” may make you laugh, cry and leave you craving a piece of pie.
Originally Published Aug 25, 2026 09:40AM EDT
