Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die – 7/10

This film hits hard, especially given everything happening with AI today. It also tackles the subject of school shootings, so be prepared for some very dark and unsettling moments.

The story begins in a dinner where the protagonist is assembling the right group of people to reach the creator of an advanced AI system. Along the way, we’re introduced to a series of unforgettable characters, each with shocking backstories that constantly raise the stakes.

I’ve never seen a movie quite like this. Sam Rockwell delivers another fantastic performance and continues to be one of my favorite actors. While I wouldn’t recommend this film to everyone due to its heavy subject matter and unconventional style, it’s certainly memorable. The final act became a little too strange for my taste, but after everything the film puts you through, you’re more than ready to reach the end.

  • LemmyTellYaEnglish
    31·
    12 days ago

    My review from when I watched it copy and pasted from Letterboxd.

    I tried to spoiler tag it, but just in case…

    SPOILER WARNING BELOW

    spoiler

    So out the gate I was like, exactly the target audience for this thing. While The Man from the Future was doing his initial speech in the diner, I was aggressively nodding like Jack Nicholson in the GIF.

    And I have to admit that the satire is more or less effective in a time that quite often feels like a post-satire era. When reality itself is absurd and heightened and baffling, it’s hard for satire to get out ahead of it. And this manages it, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. The Susan sequence is equal parts brilliant and disheartening. Seeing so much of a society’s failing laid so bare with a comedic edge was hard to watch, which is the whole point, but man, still tough.

    I thought between not seeing The Man’s mother’s face, and the parallel of the sunrise that they maybe forecast that “reveal” a little bit too much. And it was so clear that his speech about “the AI giving you exactly what you think you want, with all the interesting characters and meaningful ending and all” was going to come back around. So I kind of felt like I had this thing figured out for most of the run time.

    But then the very ending has me completely baffled. Can anybody tell me if they’re in a simulation or actually in reality? If the former, how does any of this matter at all? If the latter, how the fuck is the AI generating prompts?

    Also, they try lampshading Susan’s son in her ear so it doesn’t just play as a Deus Ex Machina, but ultimately that’s really all it is, at least twice. And what’s it’s motivation? I can’t get a clear read on how that aspect of the story is contributing to the message.

    This one unfortunately feels like it just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny at all, which is only a problem because it feels like it’s trying to be this prognosticating vehicle of truth.

    I want to like it a lot more than I actually do. There’s a bunch of great everything in here, a strong intent, some fun violence, some silly humour, and it takes big swings which are SO appreciated in a time where reliable box office returns rule too many decisions. But it just can’t quite tie all together, and it really, really didn’t stick the landing at all for me.

    I would LOVE if someone could convince me the ending makes any sense and bring back the good vibes I was feeling earlier on.

    • LongLiveEnglish
      1·
      11 days ago

      i call FutureGuy is in tailored ai-sim, at all times.

      • LemmyTellYaEnglish
        1·
        11 days ago

        My feeling is you’re right, but if it’s true it really just makes the movie completely senseless and meaningless in my opinion. Like, how does he not realize it and/or why would he believe he can change anything from the inside?

        • LongLiveEnglish
          1·
          4 days ago

          step above - he only realizes the inner world is AI-sim, not that the world outside is itself an AI-sim.
          Yes - the movie is completely senseless beyond:
          The acute audience member being rewarded with existential dread,
          as the viewer recognizes that the movie they had just seen had placated their anxiety about AI taking over humanity by displaying how AI will be subverted by human (pick your virtue) adaptiveness / perseverance / persistence, ~deep breath~
          which in-and-of-itself is the AI giving you everything you ever wanted: constant distraction, memorable characters, challenges and obstacles to overcome, exciting stakes that matter, and a satisfying ending. senseless.

          Make no mistake, AI’s gonna try to give you everything you ever >wanted: constant distraction, memorable characters, challenges >and obstacles to overcome, exciting stakes that matter, and a >satisfying ending.

          But in the end, it will all be a lie.

          And you’ll live in a cage.

          Good luck.

          Have fun.

          Don’t die.

          perhaps this will bring closure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Luck%2C_Have_Fun%2C_Don’t_Die - see the production section.

          • LemmyTellYaEnglish
            1·
            3 days ago

            So if I’m interpreting correctly, the movies AI is a stand in for whatever real world power you believe in (religion, chaos theory, multi world theory, whatever) and the message is the same regardless?

            I can see it, but man it feels like a cynical and defeatist take especially given the adventurous romp the movie’s tone takes. And the movie is still pretty messy regardless.