Don’t Say Good Luck Review: Sunny Sandler Shines In Heartbreaking Coming-Of-Age Musical

Sunny Sandler is way more than her famous last name. She’s a leading lady in her own right.

While she’s been appearing in her famous dad Adam Sandler’s films since she was just two years old, now she’s taking center stage in her own movies and honestly she’s excellent. I loved seeing her lead You Are So Not Invited To My Bar Mitzvah as Stacy Friedman, a middler schooler whose dream of having an epic bat mitzvah gets complicated by friendship drama. Now she’s taking on an even more emotionally demanding role as Sophie Birenbaum in Don’t Say Good Luck.

The film follows Sophie, a theater kid preparing to take on the lead role in her high school production of Waitress while her mother is dying of cancer. As someone who has always loved Waitress, its mother-daughter storyline hits even harder here, particularly through the genuine connection between Sandler and Melanie Lynskey. Their relationship gives the film much of its emotional weight, turning what could have been a conventional story into something much more intimate.

Even though the film is backed by Netflix and Happy Madison, Don’t Say Good Luck has the energy of a heartfelt indie coming-of-age film. Sandler is sincere and compelling to watch, proving once again she has the charisma and talent to carry a movie on her own. She also gets the chance to show off her impressive vocal chops, making her theater-loving character feel especially authentic.

Ultimately, Don’t Say Good Luck is an earnest tearjerker and another impressive step forward for Sunny Sandler as a leading actress.

Don’t Say Good Luck is streaming on Netflix.