{"id":24578,"date":"2022-04-01T01:50:09","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T08:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24578"},"modified":"2022-04-01T01:50:09","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T08:50:09","slug":"better-nate-than-ever-is-familiar-disney-fare-with-a-couple-of-catchy-tunes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24578","title":{"rendered":"BETTER NATE THAN EVER is Familiar Disney Fare with Some Catchy Tunes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/24_0007_B-merged.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15337\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This feature can be viewed this Friday, April 1<sup>st <\/sup>&nbsp;on Disney+.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing up is an awkward and difficult time for just about everyone, as youngsters try to figure out who they are and what they want to be. Of course, it can be especially complicated if your interests are different from those around you. This serves as the central premise for <em>Better Nate Than Ever<\/em> from Disney+. The movie doesn\u2019t address its themes in the most nuanced or subtle ways, but it is a sweet and well-intentioned effort with a few laughs and a couple of catchy tunes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Nate-Than-Ever-05-fixed-1024x561.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24580\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nate Foster (Rueby Wood) is a 13-year-old middle school\nstudent who loves musicals and dreams of being a Broadway star. Unfortunately,\nhe lives in Pittsburgh, where there aren\u2019t many other kids with the same\nambitions. He spends his days with friend Libby (Aria Brooks), another outcast\nat the school. After failing to get cast in his own school production, Libby\ntells Nate that there is an open casting call for an upcoming Broadway stage\nmusical of \u201cLilo and Stitch\u201d. The two convince each other to sneak off to New\nYork City and audition for the show. Of course, doing so results in all sorts\nof complications, including Nate having to figure out how to earn a tryout\nwithout parents or guardians being present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Nate-Than-Ever-02-fixed-1024x655.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24581\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This family movie is extremely peppy, upbeat and exaggerated,\nsometimes exceedingly so. Everything about the characters, from their\npersonalities to their reactions after arriving in Manhattan are ridiculously wide-eyed.\nObviously, this tone is expected for a movie about musicals that is primarily\naimed at kids \u2013 the lighting and photography is very slick and there are flashy\ndream sequences have the appearance of an elaborate stage show. It\u2019s all very impressive\nto look at and a nice homage to Broadway, but this approach does add artifice\nto the proceedings. At times, characters talk out loud to themselves to further\nthe plot and several jokes feel forced and oversold. This is unfortunately, as a\nnaturalistic reaction to the big city and more authentic behind-the-scenes\nfollies about the showbiz world might have served the film better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite these issues, the young leads are all charismatic\nand there are some gags that hit the mark. When Nate finds himself short on the\nfunds needed to pay for an essential item and treated poorly by a cashier, his\nreappearance at the shop later and interaction with the same employee is well\ndelivered and funny. The arrival of another aspiring performer\/family member\nAunt Heidi (Lisa Kudrow) is another welcome addition to the story. She adds both\nlevity and even helps develop more drama to the tale as a struggling actress\nwho had a falling out with Nate\u2019s mother. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Nate-Than-Ever-03-fixed-1024x567.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24582\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the movie focuses on earnest drama based around the\nprotagonist\u2019s issues with his brother (Joshua Basset), a miscommunication with Libby\nabout the nature of their relationship, as well as Nate\u2019s fears and anxieties about\nbeing inexperienced and stumbling while trying to impress at auditions, the\nmovie works far more effectively. Frequently, the drama plays in a more\nengaging manner than the broad attempts at humor. The finale even includes a memorable\nand emotional original number performed by Wood in \u201cNo One Gets Left Behind\u201d\nthat resonates nicely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adults will certainly question why Broadway-loving Nate would ever be overlooked by his local drama teacher, or how a music and dance-centered video posted online could attract attention around the world, but be completely overlooked by Broadway producers. However, kids won\u2019t have nearly the same kinds of logic issues with <em>Better Nate Than Ever<\/em> as this reviewer did. And despite it all being formulaic, the young cast are charming and the movie is peppy. It wants anyone who feels like they don\u2019t belong to know there are others like them and that they should continue to be themselves and follow their interests. In the end, it\u2019s a nice message for kids in what ends up being a genial and diverting little Disney movie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This feature can be viewed this Friday, April 1st &nbsp;on Disney+. Growing up is an awkward and difficult time for just about everyone, as youngsters try to figure out who they are and what they want to be. Of course, it can be especially complicated if your interests are different from those around you. This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[209,1784,2630,2631,2632,2633,3574,4660,5922,11067,12483,14429,17419,18340,19204],"class_list":["post-24578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-209","tag-aria-brooks","tag-better-nate-than-ever","tag-better-nate-than-ever-film-review","tag-better-nate-than-ever-movie-review","tag-better-nate-than-ever-review","tag-broadway","tag-comedy","tag-disney","tag-joshua-bassett","tag-lisa-kudrow","tag-musical","tag-rueby-wood","tag-showbiz","tag-streaming"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24578\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}