Naman Shrestha
With Julia Hart at the helm, Netflix’s ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ is a coming-of-age musical drama movie that follows 15-year-old Sophie Birenbaum, an aspiring and talented actor who is delighted to land the leading role in her high school musical of ‘Waitress.’ On the other hand, the theatre teen is devastated to learn about her mother’s cancer recurrence and the fact that the doctors have determined it to be terminal this time.
Sophie must find a way to navigate grief, rehearsals of her play, and other aspects of adolescence simultaneously. The teen film is brought to life by a talented cast, including Sunny Sandler, Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Bebe Neuwirth, and Steve Buscemi. The narrative unfolds in a variety of different settings, such as Sophie’s high school, the stage, her residence, the hospital, and more, allowing the makers to add visual depth to the tale.
Don’t Say Good Luck Filming Locations
The shooting for ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ was conducted in New Jersey, particularly in Bergen County, Jersey City, Cranford, Madison, and Livingston. Principal photography for the Sunny Sandler starrer commenced in early July 2025 and concluded after more than two months in September of the same year. One of the cast members, Serena Parrish, claimed that “Filming this movie was the most amazing experience and I can’t wait for everyone to see this beautiful film.”
Bergen County, New Jersey
For the purpose of filming, the cast and crew of ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ visited several spots in Bergen County in the Gateway Region at the northeastern edge of New Jersey. In particular, a portion of the shooting took place at Paramus Park Mall, a shopping mall at 700 Paramus Park in Paramus, which is a suburban borough in the heart of the county. In July 2025, the team was spotted taping a minor portion in Ridgewood. In the affluent suburban village, Benjamin Franklin Middle School at 335 North Van Dien Avenue hosted the production of some scenes of the musical teen drama film.
Other Locations in New Jersey
The team also ventured outside of Bergen County to other areas of New Jersey. A few scenes of the film were lensed in Jersey City, in the northeastern part of the state. The cast and crew also visited the suburban township of Cranford in Union County for about two weeks, where a residential property, as well as sections of Maple Street, were used as shooting sites for some scenes. In addition, Drew University, at 36 Madison Avenue in the borough of Madison in Morris County, hosted the production of the Netflix movie. Furthermore, the premises of Nana’s Deli at 127 South Livingston Avenue in Livingston, Essex County, were utilized to bring the musical to life.
The crew transformed the family-owned and operated eatery into the fictional deli owned by the Birenbaum family. Temporary alterations were made to the establishment to recreate the 80s aesthetic, thus complementing the narrative. Props such as signage and hand-lettered cards were placed on the windows, displaying deli staples like Reubens, whitefish, knishes, chopped liver, herring, latkes, pickles, etc., which further added reflected the Jewish cultural identity at the center of Sophie’s family life. Aside from the Jewish restaurant, ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ was also lensed at a Korean restaurant in the area. Meanwhile, the amphitheater of Montclair High School at 100 Chestnut Street in Montclair is where the graduation scene was filmed.
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