Better Nate Than Ever
Published June 12, 2022
Film info
- Title Better Nate Than Ever
- Director Tim Federle
- Year 2022
- Run time 1hr 34m
- Genres Comedy, Family, Music
- Tagline Every adventure begins with a dream
Thirteen-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams. There's only one problem - he can't even land a part in the school play. But when his parents leave town, Nate and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove everyone wrong. A chance encounter with Nate's long-lost Aunt Heidi turns his journey upside-down, and together they must learn that life's greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:37 | Those are some excellent fluffy slippers. |
| 5:45 | I can’t believe what posh fully-equipped stages these schools have. |
| 7:10 | “Pre-or-post Moana?” Why is Moana the cut off? |
| 15:19 | Took a while for the first song in this musical to arrive but I’m here for it. |
| 21:39 | Was so sure he was going to yell KEVIN, then. |
| 25:40 | “Okay, so, responsible adult mode, my greatest acting role yet.” |
| 33:11 | I want Lisa Kudrow as my aunt. |
| 36:16 | “I love the theatre, but I don’t really love being on stage.” Same. |
| 45:32 | New York at night without a place to stay must be intimidating AF. |
| 49:28 | “Where in the name of Stephen Joshua Sondheim are you?” |
| 57:56 | All these apartments with neon lights out the window - how does anyone get any sleep? |
| 1:13:37 | I don’t say this lightly, but I really want to punch that ‘good luck’ kid. |
| 1:14:09 | “Musicals allow us to say things we can’t actually say in real life.” |
| 1:17:43 | Audition pianists are so under-rated. |
| 1:24:58 | “The initial offer is low but workable.” THIS KID. |
Thoughts
This is a great little feelgood movie about a theatre kid and his BFF going on an adventure to Broadway - so if you like musicals, there’s going to be something in here for you. It was a good story, with interesting characters (in a weird world where Joshua Bassett plays the jock!) and a good message. I loved Lisa Kudrow, obviously, and the friend that discovers her hidden agent skills is hilarious and brilliant.
I don’t fully understand why a kid this talented wouldn’t be getting parts in the school play and I’m not sure the auditions would have been quite so willing to see him with such little parental guidance, but equally, I like that the happy ending is just playing the main role a couple of times a week rather than winning over all of Broadway and becoming a star. It’s good.
Rating: 4 / 5