Better Nate Than Ever

The sweet new Disney musical about a Pittsburgh kid who wants to make it on Broadway starts slow and has a decidedly TV feel, but like the hero finds its voice in the last act.

Does “Better Nate Than Ever” sometimes feel more like a high-end television show for tweens than a feature film? It does.

This new musical from Disney+ features a likeable cast that could have been plucked straight from “Hannah Montana” or a junior version of the “High School Musical” show. The humor is aimed straight at older kids, with probably ages 9-13 being the sweet spot. And it’s got an old school “live for your dreams!” message.

But if the story starts a little slow and doesn’t exactly strike a lot of original notes, it’s still a pleasing piece of entertainment. And it also makes clear, if not exactly spelling it out, that the main character is a gay kid.

Disney’s been in a bit of tight spot on gay issues lately, between that bill in Florida and strong pushback from a vocal segment of its employees who say the House of Mouse has been downplaying LGBT characters and themes. So maybe Nate Foster is, in his only little way, not exactly daring but an agreeable figure everyone will like and thereby move the needle a teeny bit.

As the late, great Ruth Bader Ginsburg espouses, incremental change is always the most enduring change.

Anyway, let’s ditch the politics and get back to Nate. As played by Rueby Wood — a newcomer to screens but already a Broadway veteran — he’s an earnest 13-year-old from Pittsburgh who’s obsessed with musicals. Alas, he can’t seem to get any breaks at his middle school, cast as a tree in their new production based on Abraham Lincoln.

His best friend is Libby (Aria Brooks), another theater kid who’s more invested in her friendship with Nate than actual stage time. She convinces him to sneak off to New York City to audition for a role in the new musical adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch” while his parents are away for the weekend.

(Of course, it’s another Disney property and yes, they really are launching such a musical in May. Holy promotional cross-pollination, Batman!)

So onto a bus they go with, appropriate alibis and protocols in place. A subplot involves Nate’s relationship with his older brother, Anthony (Joshua Bassett), an overachieving jock type who’s seemingly mortified by a younger sibling who’s artsy and, so, you know…

Once in the Big Apple they encounter the usual roadblocks and pitfalls, including the competition — like the cutthroat girl who has a way of chirping “good luck” like it’s a curse. Nate manages to score a callback, thereby splitting up himself and Libby, and also becomes a TikTok sensation by riffing with some Times Square musicians on a version of “On Broadway.”

Look for a cameo from good ol’ George Benson himself.

They also hook up with his aunt, Heidi (Lisa Kudrow), an itinerant actress who’s like a hero to Nate. Little does he know it’s been a long time since she had her brief moment in the Broadway spotlight, and has grown jaded by her life — working as a caterer and living in a crappy rent-controlled apartment. But maybe Nate’s optimism will relight her own spark.

(As is custom in Hollywood movies, Heidi’s supposedly terrible little apartment is an expansive multi-room affair that in real life would house 6-8 struggling actors.)

Wood has got the neurotic charm to make us empathize with Nate, and as we’ll see he’s got the pipes, too. The movie, written and directed by Tim Federle, is not a traditional musical with wall-to-wall show tunes. Nate doesn’t just spontaneously burst into song wherever he happens to be, but does his singing in natural spots like auditions, his number in Times Square, and so on.

“Better Nate Than Ever” doesn’t break any molds, but fits nicely into the well-worn groove of a young person who dreams of becoming star. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to cheer.