Review: 'Don't Say Good Luck' showcases Sunny Sandler, but Melanie Lynskey makes it shine

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred The importance of parental support goes meta in Julia Hart’s “Don’t Say Good Luck.” The YA musical drama, which premieres Friday, pays homage to musical theater, unconditional maternal love and the family-hour TV, er, Netflix movie.In a landscape littered with teenage dysfunction, “Don’t Say Good Luck” is a moving argument for aspirational television.And with a star whose famous father serves as producer, it‘s an admonition to the term “nepo baby.” We meet normal kid Sophie Birenbaum (Sunny Sandler) as she anxiously prepares for a day that will include auditioning for her high school’s production of “Waitress.” While her father, Ted (Max Greenfield, marvelously transformed by a beard), wrangles her rambunctious younger twin brothers, her mother, Elizabeth (Melanie Lynskey), assures her that she is talented and beautiful and will do just great.

These sentiments are echoed by Sophie’s best friend, Carolyn (Scarlett Estevez), who joins her at the audition where the director is the super-cool Ms.Parker (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Stephanie Beatriz) and even theater department queen bee Mallory (Elyse Bell), who everyone knows is going to get the lead, is pretty nice.‘The Odyssey’ meets ‘Shark Week’ in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Devil’s Mouth’: the ultimate travel horror tale.It’s a high school experience that’s about as far from “Euphoria” or even “Glee” as one can get while still being situated on Earth.

Still, all is not perfect in Sophie’s world.When Elizabeth learns that her cancer has returned, Sophie overhears her parents’ subsequent conversation via a butt-dial from her father’s phone.

Her first impulse is to flee the audition; instead her emotional turmoil fuels a powerful performance that (spoiler alert?) lands her the lead role.Determined to downplay the seriousness of her illness, Elizabeth insists that life continu...