Disclaimer: MAJOR SPOILERS

Disney’s new movie Better Nate Than Ever had its premiere on March 15. The trailer makes it look like an enjoyable family movie, but it sucks. It was straight garbage. It’s far too easy to say that viewers will waste an hour and 31 minutes watching this film.

The story begins with Nate happily waking up, only to find that he didn’t get the lead in his school’s new musical. Wanting to redeem himself, he ventures to New York with his best friend, and they attempt to audition for a  Lilo and Stitch musical, wanting to keep it a secret from his family including his aunt, a Broadway star.

It’s obvious that two kids can’t pull off a secret trip to New York without their parents finding out. And when Nate’s brother and aunt did, they are livid. This creates an entirely unnecessary escape scene to attend to Nate’s last audition. After all this drama, Nate gets the role of Stitch. 

The plot is basic. The whole story is revealed early on in the film which makes the rest of the movie short and boring. This movie will have you dozing off after about thirty minutes.

Better Nate Than Ever only adds to its basicness with its predictability. The whole idea of two 12-year olds sneaking off to New York without their parents knowing strains any sense of credibility. And the troubles they encounter are so obvious and unoriginal, including the alibi for their absence and the way Nate’s brother figures out he is missing. Disney definitely wasn’t thinking too hard on this movie. 

The acting is so awful it seems forced. When watching the movie, it looks like the actors were reading from a script while filming their final scene, as though they’re void of prior experience. Even long term actor Lisa Kudrow, who plays Nate’s aunt, is clueless. The acting really degraded this plotline.

Overall, this movie is cringy and terrible. The basic plot, predictability and acting make this movie horrible. Don’t waste your time.