‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ Ending Explained: Does the Mom Die?

By Anna Menta Published Aug. 19, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET Don’t watch Sunny Sandler’s new Netflix movie, Don’t Say Good Luck, unless you have a box of tissues by your side. Because you will cry. Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Don’t Say Good Luck, which began streaming on Netflix last week, is directed by Julia Hart, with a screenplay written by Hart, Jordan Horowitz, and Laura Hankin. The story was inspired by Hankin’s real-life experience getting cast in the lead of her high school’s musical, at the same time that her mom was battling terminal cancer. In the film, the young Sandler stars as Sophie, who, like Hankin, lands the lead in her school musical, and goes home every day to see her cancer-ridden mom (played by Emmy-nominated Melanie Lynskey) getting sicker and sicker. Don’t Say Good Luck w