By Sarah Osman

Sunny Sandler gives a quietly affecting performance in a heartfelt, unsentimental coming-of-age drama about a high school musical, a mother’s cancer recurrence, and the precarious coexistence of sorrow and joy.

Sunny Sandler in Don’t Say Good Luck.Photo: Netflix

Throughout my childhood, I was part of various stage productions. My school was more focused on teaching us African dance instead of math. I was always cast as the Hanukkah Fairy, even though I am not Jewish. (My music teacher decided I looked Jewish-enough — clearly, my elementary school had some problems.) My mom was tirelessly supportive of my theater aspirations, and had been since my very first starring role as a sheep in a Kindergarten play.

Seven years ago, my mother passed away. She held on for two years as she battled ovarian cancer. I watched as she slowly succumbed to the illness. Towards the end, I sat by her bedside as she stroked my hair and told me how much she loved me.

Because of my own life experience, I was intrigued by the premise of Don’t Say Good Luck, the latest film from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions. The storyline follows Sophie (Sunny Sandler) as she gets the lead in her high school musical. At the same time, her mother, Elizabeth (Melanie Lynskey), discovers that her cancer has returned. Throughout the film, Sophie is battling, along with general teenage awkwardness, bouts of grief and excitement.

The script of Don’t Say Good Luck is heartfelt, yet realistic. Penned by Laura Hankin, Julia Hart, and Jordan Horowitz, the story was inspired by Hankin’s real-life experience, which probably explains why the film doesn’t include any of the absurd doings featured in other coming-of-age stories. There are no mean girls, hijinks, or out-of-control parties here. The teens here behave like typical teens (albeit theater-orientated ones, which have their own brand of awkward); Sophie and her mom enjoy shopping trips together, and her father wrangles her younger twin brothers. Despite being centered on a heavy subject, the film never becomes melodramatic. There are no hints of a Lifetime movie or sappy teen drama.

Sunny Sandler supplies much of the emotional fuel for this film. I was first impressed by her performance in the underappreciated You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, a sweet coming-of-age comedy. But in Don’t Say Good Luck, she shows off her dramatic chops. She never overdoes Sophie’s grief; instead, Sandler quietly carries Sophie’s pain. Sophie focuses on her role as Jenna in Waitress, but it’s clear that she’s using the work as a way to disassociate from her sorrow. At the same time, Sophie deals with many of the typical woes of a teenager: a crush on her leading man, drifting apart from her best friend, and learning how to drive. It’s also not an easy task to hold your own against a powerhouse actor like Lynskey, but Sandler’s chemistry with her on-screen mother is both believable and heart-wrenching.

Don’t Say Good Luck isn’t a comedy, but it has its humorous moments. I especially enjoyed the other kids in Waitress, like Elyse (Mallory Sinclair), who attended theater camp and now lectures all the other thespians on how to act. Sophie gets too drunk at a party and humiliates herself when she tries to perform under the influence. Elizabeth takes Sophie to the mall where she puts on a fake Southern accent — which gives Sophie a chance to practice hers. If the film were all drama or all comedy, it wouldn’t be be as successful — the screenplay’s balance, between tears and laughter, is what makes the film so powerful.

Sarah Mina Osman is based in Los Angeles. In addition to The Arts Fuse, her writing can be found in The Huffington Post, Success Magazine, Matador Network, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and WatchMojo. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is working on her first novel. She has a deep appreciation for sloths and tacos. You can keep up with her on Instagram @SarahMinaOsman and at Bluesky @sarahminaosman.bsky.social.