Deadline’s review praises Netflix’s Don’t Say Good Luck as a moving coming-of-age drama, led by Sunny Sandler and Melanie Lynskey. Based on screenwriter Laura Hankin’s true story, it follows teenager Sophie as winning the lead in her school’s production of Waitress coincides with the return of her mother Elizabeth’s cancer, turning a hopeful milestone into a family crisis.

The critic says director Julia Hart sensitively balances school rehearsals, Sophie’s emerging romance and Elizabeth’s worsening illness, while showing how art can offer comfort amid grief. Lynskey’s character initially hides her terminal diagnosis to protect Sophie, but the decision eventually creates conflict; the review particularly highlights an emotional scene prompted by Sophie’s role as a pregnant character in the musical.