Good Luck to Me (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

As a newly-divorced couple attempts to navigate life, they decide to spend one more evening together over coffee, drinks, and dinner. Tension exists in every fabric of their relationship at this point, and the two individuals, known only as “Him” (Timothy J. Cox) and “Her” (Heather Bayles), must face their new reality and utter the words “Good Luck to Me.”

Good Luck to Me is a film that has great potential. With Cox (also co-writer and producer) and Director of Photography Thomas Angeletti playing roles in this film, I was certain that Good Luck to Me would be incredibly endearing, but what I ultimately found failed to live up to expectations. From the opening moments I found Good Luck to Me lacked the gusto necessary to convey the potentially compelling tale of love and loss–and the majority of what the film lacked was technical efficiency. 

Bayles and Cox are often framed in a way that forces viewers to see them with other patrons of the establishments in which they attend throughout. At the coffee shop, another couple sits closer to the camera, begging viewers to ask what role that featured couple would play in the grand scheme of the film. As that opening scene extends itself, another young woman exists front and center, forcing the leading couple to the background and limiting the power that they have in that moment. Maybe that’s the purpose. Maybe Angeletti and Director Maya Ahmed had looked to minimize the power that this couple had after their falling out–but I’m not sure that this sentiment is accomplished, only left up to the viewer’s discretion. 

Furthermore, nearly the entirety of Good Luck to Me is overly saturated in terms of light. Strongly backlit, both Cox and Bayles find themselves up against another obstacle, unable to hurdle said obstacle and find their way to the forefront of the film. Combatting extras in the foreground and aggressive light in the background, neither Cox nor Bayles were given a great opportunity to succeed. It felt that at every turn this duo was hindered by the set design, the lighting, camera angles, etc.–and Good Luck to Me suffers throughout as a result. 

What does work in favor of Good Luck to Me is the interestingly grounded narrative. At first glance it appears that the film presents an unlikely story to viewers, one that may struggle to resonate with them. However, regardless of the film’s shortcomings, this film is innately human–and it remains accessible throughout as a result. We’ve all experienced loss in our lives, and Writers Bayles and Cox concoct a story that manages to transcend the various types of loss that we are forced to experience in our lifetime. 

Beyond the grounded story, what I found to be most compelling is Cox’s willingness to commit to each and every character that he takes on. Regardless of anything else, Cox clearly fills the shoes of his unnamed character with a gusto that he carries with him everywhere. Cox is the shining star, the most important aspect of Good Luck to Me. 

Unfortunately, Good Luck to Me struggles technically, and it seems that the film never finds its footing in this regard. The acting, however, works for me–and both Bayles and Cox perform to the best of their abilities and strengthen a narrative that remains grounded in a way that didn’t seem possible. 

Directed by Maya Ahmed. 

Written by Heather Bayles & Timothy J. Cox. 

Starring Timothy J. Cox, Heather Bayles, Destiny Elexis, Ramona Schwalbach, Laura Cvammen, etc. 

6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE