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Screener Squad: Better Nate Than Ever

Better Nate Than Ever Movie Review

BETTER NATE THAN EVER

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway. They say there’s always magic in the air. But when you’re walkin’ down the street, and you ain’t had enough to eat, the glitter rubs right off and you’re nowhere. But that nowhere is exactly where 13-year-old Nate Foster (newcomer Rueby Wood) dreams of going one day and making his mark on the musical theater stage. Nate lives in Pittsburgh and is obsessed with being a Broadway star, even if he’s never had a lead role in any of his school’s shows. His parents are understanding and supportive of his dreams, while his track star older brother Anthony (Joshua Bassett) is not. At school, Nate is bullied for his eccentric and optimistic personality, but he has his best friend Libby (Aria Brooks) to support and love him in his wild pursuits. She’s so supportive in fact, that she concocts a plan for the pair to sneak off to New York City so Nate can enter the open casting for a brand new Broadway adaptation of Lilo & Stitch. They hop a greyhound and head off to the Big Apple to follow Nate’s dreams. One mishap after another sends Nate on an adventure that sees him splitting his pants, singing and dancing in the streets, and reconnecting with his Aunt Heidi (Lisa Kudrow). Harmoni, Michael, Frank, and T.C. smile their way through this witty and joyful film, and do their best to convince everyone to jump on the Rueby Wood train now, because this kid is already a brilliant showman, worthy of Broadway and more.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Tim Federle

STARRING: Rueby Wood, Joshua Bassett, Aria Brooks, Lisa Kudrow, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael Federer, Finn Egan-Liang, Krystina Alabado, Brooks Ashmanskas, Keola Simpson, Anaseini Katoa, Kylie Kuioka, Priscilla Lopez, George Benson

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

T.C. De Witt (Screener Squad)

T.C. De Witt is a multi-awarded writer/director originally from Wisconsin and now based in Los Angeles. His life has been devoted to the arts since he was a child. He’s been a stage performer, playwright, stand-up comic, film and television actor, radio DJ, podcaster published author, recorded musician, and comic writer/illustrator. He is now a professional screenwriter and has been thriving for the past decade, regularly offering his talents to production studios in LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, and internationally in Sydney and Poland. He’s provided content for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and several YouTube partners. His films have screened internationally, and his stageplays have been performed across the country. In the last ten years, he has directed 57 films, 23 episodes of his series The One Minute Rewatch, 300+ episodes of podcasts, and his multi-award-winning short film Screen: Righter screened at the Festival de Cannes in 2016. He has released two feature films, The Princess Knight and A Christmas Sunset. He thrives on collaboration and the thrill of sharing stories in all forms.

 

 

Harmoni Anderson (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews, Unstabletop Gaming)

Harmoni is a mermaid-haired, millennial, rum drinking, Section 31, Slytherin (who’s divorced J.K. Rowling) preschool/nursery teacher and multi genre geek who also loves all things film, tv, fashion, makeup, and an embarrassingly huge BTS stan. Like really embarrassing. As in, mention them and then sit back and watch the insanity. Harmoni likes being able to game and talk movies/TV with people that aren’t 3 feet tall or all that demanding of her. Plus she can curse at us and not get fired….so bonus!

 

 

” width=Michael Van Slyke (Screener Squad)

Michael is a second-generation Air Force brat born in Tucson, raised in San Antonio, and living in Austin since the mid ’80s. Since being introduced to Star Trek as a child by his mother Michael has had an obsessive love of all things sci-fi. He is a cartoonist, illustrator, costumer, leatherworker, amateur luthier, singer, aspiring voice actor, and a motion graphics artist. With all these interests and skills, he thinks the term “Renaissance Man” sounds better than “artsy guy with ADHD”. He lives with his lovely and nerdy wife Harmoni Anderson and their two cats. When not watching and discussing sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV he looks for new hobbies and skills to try. He also listens to Harmoni try and teach him things about K-pop band BTS. Like… all the things about BTS.

 

Frank Calvillo (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Born and raised in South Texas, Frank currently lives in Austin and has been in love with movies ever since his father showed him some Three Stooges shorts when he was five years old. Today he loves all kinds of film, regardless of era, country, budget or genre. He believes every film has an audience and is at least one person’s favorite movie. After writing for Sight & Sound and Slackerwood, he now writes for Cinapse where his increasingly random taste in all flavors of cinema (from Rashomon to Mars Attacks!) continues to thrive. His ultimate goal is to write a script for his boyhood crush, Michelle Pfeiffer.

 

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