Heartbreaking True Story Behind Netflix Hit Don’t Say Good Luck Revealed as Viewers Are Left in Tears

A teenager lands the lead role in her school musical just as her family is facing a devastating crisis at home. That emotional collision between one of the most exciting moments of adolescence and the possibility of losing a parent forms the heart of Netflix’s Don’t Say Good Luck — and much of the story was inspired by screenwriter Laura Hankin’s own life.

The coming-of-age comedy drama has quickly found an audience since arriving on Netflix earlier this month. At the time of writing, it ranks as the second most-watched title among UK subscribers, behind new sci-fi mystery The Last House.

Sunny Sadler stars as Sophie Birenbaum, a secondary school student unexpectedly chosen to lead her school’s musical. But while rehearsals should represent an exciting new chapter, Sophie is dealing with circumstances at home that make everything happening on stage feel very different.

The film has prompted emotional reactions from viewers, and its connection to Hankin’s real experiences makes Sophie’s story particularly poignant.

The real experience behind Don’t Say Good Luck

Hankin co-wrote the screenplay with director Julia Hart, drawing inspiration from a difficult period during her own teenage years.

Like Sophie, Hankin earned the lead role in a high school production while her family was facing serious difficulties. Her mother’s cancer had returned at the same time.

Reflecting on the experience during production, Hankin explained on Instagram that she wanted the screenplay both to celebrate the theatre friends who gave her happiness during that period and to honour her mother.

“When I was in high school, I got the lead in my fall show while my family was going through some really rough stuff,” she wrote.

She added: “I wrote a script inspired by that time to celebrate my fellow theatre nerds who brought me a lot of joy, and to honour my mother who I loved more than words can say.”

Her mother died just weeks later

Several emotional elements from Hankin’s life made their way into the film.

She remembered considering whether she should withdraw from the production and struggling to enjoy rehearsals while knowing what she would face when she returned home.

Another important memory involved her mother managing to see her perform. Hankin and her father remember the exact circumstances slightly differently: her mother either attended a dress rehearsal or the performance itself.

She died only weeks later.

Before her death, Hankin’s mother also wrote her daughter a letter that Hankin continues to read. In it, she recalled crying at one of her daughter’s concerts when Hankin was younger because she realised her daughter had discovered something she was meant to do.

That memory also has a parallel within the film.

The real school musical was very different

Although Don’t Say Good Luck draws heavily from Hankin’s experiences, the movie does not recreate every detail exactly.

Hankin’s real high school production was Moby Dick! The Musical, an unusual play-within-a-play involving a Catholic girls’ school staging a musical version of Herman Melville’s novel.

For the movie, however, Hankin wanted a production that connected more directly with its themes.

She eventually chose Waitress after repeatedly listening to its soundtrack. The musical’s female-led story and themes involving mothers and daughters made it particularly appropriate.

“This is perfect because it has all these layers about mothers and daughters and going through these things that you’re not sure you can handle,” Hankin told the You’ve Got Mail Substack.

Some parts of Sophie’s story were fictionalised

Hankin has been open about changing elements of her own history to create a stronger film narrative.

Among those alterations, she added another brother, changed the town where the family lives and modified the type of business they operate.

She also managed to slip herself into the finished movie in a very small way. Her face is never shown, but Hankin revealed that viewers can briefly see her shoulder and hear her voice as an English teacher.

Sunny Sadler leads the film as Sophie, while her father, Adam Sandler, serves as one of its producers. Sunny has previously appeared in several of her father’s films, but her performance here has attracted particular attention.

Sandler also shared some of the emotional audience response on social media, posting footage of people crying after watching the movie with the caption: “POV you just watched Don’t Say Good Luck.”

Behind those reactions is a film whose most painful emotional foundation came from a real period in Hankin’s life — one in which the excitement of performing, the support of her theatre community and the impending loss of her mother became permanently intertwined.

Don’t Say Good Luck is streaming on Netflix.