Better Nate Than Ever
DISNEY +Musicals and theatre kids do not, sadly, have the self-awareness needed to understand why Better Nate Than Ever is just alright. A feature that drags former TV star Lisa Kudrow through the infuriating hedge maze of light and empty musical numbers is no respectable offering to that calibre of talent. But this Disney offering is the unusual pairing of glam appeal, hearty antics, and heartless songs. Coin the term and they shall flock to it. Better late than never, but this piece is decades too late for the can-do attitudes of optimism trumping the real world. Especially now. A leading character that holds onto a variety of coloured rabbit feet as though it were still a popular component of luck-based living. What a strange reality to provide musical theatre fans.
Pennsylvania, for Better Nate Than Never, is allegedly a place to “pursue your happiness”. At that, the mere existence of Pennsylvania as a backdrop for this dullard musical is certifiable proof that it is a place where happiness goes to die, rather than thrive. It is hard to crack down on the optimism and luck-oriented life of Nate Foster (Rueby Wood). Try to do so anyway. Eventually, all optimism is crushed, as if existentialism should be deployed on a philosophical bombing run where the lead child actor does a Dick Van Dyke impression when boarding the school bus. Disney is keen to have audiences climb aboard the SS Musical, and, to its credit, has carved out some surprisingly solid moments throughout its less-than critical analysis of modern culture, gender politics and identity.
Director Tim Federle is on hand to steer that relatively well, and with Wood in the leading role, it is hard to get up in arms about the lacking or uninspired supporting roles. Best pal Libby (Aria Brooks) is the usual nerd who enjoys her espresso with a wry smile and zen like no other. Federle does well to rally the troops though, his directing style sometimes flickers to life, but most of it is just a knock-off of the fast-cut editing Edgar Wright deploys. While not Wright’s intellectual property, it is one of his tell-tale tropes, so much so that seeing it in Better Nate Than Ever under a different director is quite the curveball. But it does show Disney are willing to employ someone that isn’t capable of shot-reverse-shot and nothing more than that. Federle does just fine.
Although the pot of capitalist structure and product placement is sly with this one, it is there and at least somewhat useful. Guys and Dolls, the Wicked musical, all the hashtags and chirpy music that could be offered, but Tim Federle offers relatively impressive direction on top of a script that is at the very least light and entertaining. Of course, the unfortunate part of that is Better Nate Than Ever is a Disney product. Because of that, it is going to utilise a fair amount of intellectual property, with the big drive being an audition for a Lilo and Stitch musical on Broadway in New York. It is the dream of this character. It is their salvation from a life stuck in their hometown. Commendable, but not frank or honest with its audience. Its optimism is its downfall, its musical charm a death knell in a film that does just fine. Better Nate Than Ever is too nice to hate but equally too nice to make an impact.