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Better Nate Than Ever

Better Nate Than Ever

Music · Family · Comedy · 2022

13-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams but there’s only one problem — he can’t even land a part in the school play. 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.

Movie details

Better Nate Than Ever

“Every adventure begins with a dream.”

2022 Music · Family · Comedy 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

13-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams but there’s only one problem — he can’t even land a part in the school play. 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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Better Nate Than Ever?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Tim Federle

Written by

Tim Federle

Rueby Wood

Rueby Wood

Nate Foster

Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Kudrow

Aunt Heidi

Joshua Bassett

Joshua Bassett

Anthony Foster

Aria Brooks

Aria Brooks

Libby

Norbert Leo Butz

Norbert Leo Butz

Rex

Michelle Federer

Michelle Federer

Sherrie

Finn Egan-Liang

Finn Egan-Liang

Jimmy Madison

Court is in session

Put Better Nate Than Ever on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.