Better Nate Than Ever Review: There’s No Better Nate Than This

Let’s cut right to the chase — Better Nate Than Ever is a delightful, joyous movie about being true to who you are and the acceptance you welcome into your life when you do!

Better Nate Than Ever is based on the book of the same name, written by Tim Federle, creator of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He adapted the screenplay himself and also directed the movie, making it his first foray into helming a feature film.

The spoiler-free, elevator pitch summary is that the movie follows Nate Foster, a middle-schooler from Pittsburgh, PA, on a secret trip to New York City, to risk it all to audition for a stage version of Lilo & Stitch, a new musical coming to Broadway.

As a 41-year-old, jaded, gay, male, struggling actor with a love for musical theater, it turns out I am simultaneously both not the target demographic for this Disney+ original movie and exactly the intended audience.

By that I mean, when you scratch the surface, Better Nate Than Ever is not simply about a boy trying to get cast in a Broadway show.

This is a movie about finding yourself and being open to who you are inside. Yes, it begins and ends with Nate, but it’s not just about him.

Jock brother Anthony (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series alum Joshua Bassett) gets injured at a track meet and has to examine if sports is what he actually wants or rather something he does for his parents.

Nate’s best friend Libby (Aria Brooks, a giant, future star) figures out a life in theater, as well as a future with Nate, might not be for her… until she discovers that being an agent could be her career path.

Aunt Heidi (Lisa Kudrow, in one of the best performances I’ve seen) is on the verge of throwing in the towel on her acting career but gets rejuvenated by reconnecting with her nephew and his enthusiasm for life.

But finally, as the title and I suggest, a movie like this hinges on the journey of the title character, and Rueby Wood, carries this burden with ease. Let it be said, here and now — he is a damn star!

There is a fine line between big and over-the-top, and while he straddles it often, with his elastic facial expressions and wild gestures, he never crosses it. In fact, he gives a fearless and vulnerable performance, which is necessary in telling this story. 

There is a lot of coded language about how to talk about Nate’s sexuality without actually talking about it. (“Don’t Say Gay,” if you will.) 

In the book, Nate describes his sexuality as “undecided,” and while it’s never explicitly said in the movie either, choosing a rainbow-colored rabbit’s foot and using the euphemism of being the only seventh-grade boy that knows the lyrics to “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin certainly puts him on the spectrum.

If I had seen this movie when I was in the throes of indecision back in my own middle school days, I would have immediately identified with Nate, more so than any other character in that age range that I can think of off the top of my head.

My eyes would have been open to someone else going through my struggle – the bullying, the feeling you don’t fit in, that you’re bigger than your town, that you’re meant for more. These feelings aren’t exclusive to those struggling with their sexuality, but in this context, it resonates deeply.

That universal struggle is why Better Nate Than Ever is important for a whole new generation.

Having Aunt Heidi get what Nate means without him having to say it is important. Having his best friend say “I love you like a sister” is important. Having his dad say “Nate’s different” without a single trace of malice but with all the implication of understanding is important.

But the part that absolutely wrecks me and makes my eyes fill with tears is when Anthony yells.

Anthony: You don’t embarrass me. I promise. You don’t embarrass me, Nate.

And then to follow it with a song about family not getting left behind? I’m a mess as I write this, so you can imagine how I was when I watched.

Barely a supporting character in the book, Anthony truly brings so much emotional weight to this movie. He represents that approval we need that we think is out of reach.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I was going to be as moved by Better Nate Than Ever as I was.

I had been meaning to read the book for a while and only just recently listened to the audiobook to prepare for this viewing, and it’s very good.  (The text is read by Federle himself, which I highly recommend.)

If you are familiar with the Young Adult novel, you will very clearly notice a departure from what it chooses to focus on, but 2022 is a different world than 2013 when Better Nate Than Ever was written.

Also, to say that the movie has been Disney-fied wouldn’t be incorrect, but it also wouldn’t be bad either. And I don’t just mean changing the fictitious musical from E.T. to Lilo & Stitch.

(Quick sidebar: Changing the musical actually made me more invested in the stakes of the audition. With E.T., they could cast dozens of boys. With Lilo & Stitch, the only way for a white boy to be cast in a show about an alien crash landing in Hawaii is to make him the alien.)

I would maybe use the word aspirational to describe the tone switch from text to film. What Federle does in this version is give you a world that you want to see, but in reality, that world shouldn’t feel that far.

Given the current climate (of which, Disney is right in the center), this is the time when a movie like this can make a cultural impact. I believe it can be taken further, but that’s the subject for a different article.

While they may have a spotty track record with LGBTQ+ themes in their media, props have to be given to Disney for producing this movie and putting it directly onto their streaming platform.

Hopefully, they’re ready to embrace the Better Nate Than Ever sequels with the same open arms. I know I am. And get them made before the kids get too old!

Stray Thoughts:

• The original score by Gabriel Mann is excellent! All the accompanying music are reminiscent of classical musical theater.
• Nate’s dad makes a comment about not being able the handle the music to Wicked. This cracked me up more than it should since Mr. and Mrs. Foster are played by Norbert Leo Butz and Michelle Federer, who were in the original Broadway cast of the musical, as Fiyero and Nessarose, respectfully. And they’re married off-screen, as well.
• The original songs are written by Lyndie Lane, which, by all Internet reporting, appears to be pop sensation and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Olivia Rodrigo. I guess she’s embraced her inner Nils Sjöberg. (That might require a Google, unless you’re a Swiftie.)
• The cameo appearance after Nate sings “On Broadway” in Times Square is George Benson, whose version of the song is the one used in the movie All That Jazz, which is what Nate dances to in the opening scene.
• I, too, would also like to know how much Aunt Heidi’s giant apartment in Queens goes for and how she can afford that as a cater waiter.
• I have, also, done that overnight Greyhound trip from Pittsburgh to New York City, and it’s terrible! I don’t recommend it. It’s a long trip…
• …one that Anthony and Libby seem to make in record time in a car!
• Anthony goes from crutches to running pretty darn quick.
• Kudos to Tim Federle for giving us Joshua Bassett in a towel in the first five minutes of the movies as well. That is knowing your audience!

What did you think of this episode of Better Nate Than Ever? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Better Nate Than Ever is available to stream on Disney+.

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