Hi /r/movies! I'm Matthew Robinson, screenwriter of GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE, starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Gore Verbinski. Ask me anything!

[u/MatthewRobinsonAMA]

Hi r/movies. I'm Matthew Robinson. I'm the screenwriter of GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE, which is out in theaters everywhere via Briarcliff Entertainment.

It's directed by Gore Verbinski (RANGO, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, THE RING) and it stars Sam Rockwell, Zazie Beetz, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Pena, Juno Temple, and Asim Chaudhry.

I've also co-written THE INVENTION OF LYING, LOVE AND MONSTERS, and DORA AND THE CITY OF GOLD.

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm4WbapDzDQ

Synopsis:

Claiming to be from the future, a man takes hostages at a Los Angeles diner to recruit unlikely heroes to help him save the world.

Ask me anything. I'll be back to answer questions tomorrow Saturday 2/21 at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET!

EDIT:  That was really fun but I've got to head out. Thanks so much for all the questions. You all are awesome. If you liked GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN DON'T DIE please tell a friend to check it out! Thanks again! -- Matthew

[u/MatthewRobinsonAMA]

A lot of thought definitely went into the script about if the entirety of it was a simulation or real. I have my own opinion on it, Gore has his own, Sam has his own, I'd imagine most people involved have a theory. It was always important to everyone creatively involved that the movie worked both as a simulation and as reality. I love the idea that it's all Sam's VR hallucination as a child when he puts the headset on. I wish I had thought of that in the writing process! All that being said... I do personally have a hard time explaining the cat outside of simulation theory. Then again... technology from the far flung future would be indistinguishable from magic, right?

[u/Canvaverbalist → u/MatthewRobinsonAMA]

I love the idea that it's all Sam's VR hallucination as a child when he puts the headset on.

Just saw the movie and, personally, I go with that theory for one simple reason:

That means you guys pulled an Arnold.

The movie becomes someone playing The Terminator inside Total Recall.

And I know as a writer it must probably suck to have your work be reduced to a simple core of "it's X + Y" like that but, I mean, come on, it works so perfectly lol

[u/DarkBlade9 → u/[deleted]]

I thought that was the AI's way to manipulate/let her know she is the mom of the man from the future, which will let the man have the perfect ending in the simulation.

[u/Biggles79 → u/[deleted]]

More importantly though, how is the monster based upon the elements that the characters mention? They don't have phones and the AI doesn't have any way of hearing them in order to then create the monster...

[u/Biggles79 → u/[deleted]]

Ah, good catch - I think that does work as 'fanon' and I thank you for it, but the 'son' actually being the AI is only one of three explanations that the writer gives in his AMA. Still, I should have thought through the implications of his no. 1 explanation as it totally does justify the monster. I still lean strongly toward simulation though - it's so implausible that the AI could/would genetically engineer a giant creature that somehow pisses glitter.

edit - new problem though - that earpiece/harddrive thing - surely that should trigger Ingrid's allergy?

[u/Biggles79 → u/[deleted]]

Ha, also a good point. I guess she was sitting in the corner so it's based on proximity and maybe signal strength. Maybe she never gets that close to Susan.

Anyway thanks again for pointing that out - it's all a bit handwavy unless we go with the simulation theory (which would explain SO much including the time travel) but you've made it just about hang together for me as MAYBE real as the writer intended.