‘Better Nate Than Ever’ Is the Cure for Gay Hate We Need Now
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Disney+’s adaptation of Tim Federle’s Better Late Than Never is the perfect piece of artistry gay kids need in light of hostile legislation around the country.
Considering everything that’s been in the news about Disney, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and the disturbing escalation of unapologetically anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric disseminated by GOP politicians, it could be argued that it’s the best time for a movie like this to come out. It’s certainly the strangest.
The film, in the most beautiful sign of progress and the greatest compliment I can give, is something I desperately wish I had when I was growing up. It’s a love letter to kids—to theater kids, and most specifically theater kids who were made to feel shy or ashamed about who they were and how they acted, and who probably, almost 100 percent of the time, grew up to be gay.
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Tim Federle, who wrote and directed Better Nate Than Ever based on his Nate book series, is one of those people, even making a pitstop as a Broadway performer on his way to making TV and movies. (He’s also behind the popular—and similarly queer-accepting—High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.)
Nate (Rueby Wood) is a 13-year-old suburban kid who lives and breathes musicals; it’s barely minutes into the film that the 2004 Tony Awards battle between Avenue Q and Wicked is referenced, while he describes his mom’s relationship to his aunt as having “antagonistic Glinda vs. Elphaba in Act One energy.”
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The film, in the most beautiful sign of progress and the greatest compliment I can give, is something I desperately wish I had when I was growing up.That Better Nate Than Ever is targeted at a youth demographic should make this a watershed moment for Disney. After all, it’s not that long ago that it was rumored the company shuffled Love, Victor to Hulu from Disney+ over concerns that its themes weren’t going to fly with all Disney-loving families. So how then to square this with everything else going on?
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The disappointing revelation that Disney had backed the Florida representatives who voted for the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—read more about its viciousness here—and initially chose not to condemn it surfaced a slew of upsetting news and facts about the company. Pixar employees claimed that displays of queer affection were cut by corporate executives. Reminders abounded that there still hasn’t been a lead LGBTQ+ character in a studio theatrical release. Its awkward embrace of Pride was brought up again.
This week, as the controversial bill was officially signed into law, the company released a statement contradicting its initial remarks, which said that the company shouldn’t weigh in on politics and, laughably, speak with its content instead. The new statement said the law “should never have passed” and that its goal as a company is “for this law to be repealed.”
That’s… nice? The sentiment, though about several weeks and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations too late, is appreciated. But you can’t save a child who is going to be subjected to irreparable harm because of this legislation with some sentiment. At the moment, it is about as valuable as me sending out a tweet saying I vow that the conflict in Ukraine must end.
Better Nate Than Ever is streaming now on Disney+.
