What to Watch in April: Broadway Bound Nate and Bidding Adieu to 'Grace and Frankie'

The weather might be nicer ... might ... but April brings a slew of exciting queer-centric offerings to keep you indoors while we wait for info about Covid BA.2 Omicron Variant. Amongst them are "Better Nate Than Ever" and "100 Years of Men in Love," the diva-licious debut of Julia Roberts' embodiment of Margaret Mitchell ("Gaslit") and the bittersweet end to a beloved, gay-friendly TV series starring TV and film icons Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin ("Grace and Frankie.")

Sit back and watch...

"Better Nate Than Ever"

Nate Foster is a 13-year-old boy who is picked on at home (by his brother) and at school because he happens to know all the lyrics to "Corner of the Sky" from "Pippin." Yes, he's a theatre nerd and leaning in a less heterosexual direction. When he has a chance to audition for a Broadway show, he and his bestie bus it from Pittsburgh to NYC without any parental permission. Writer-director Tim Federle took elements of his own life and has fashioned a wonderful, inspiring and empowering movie, "Better Nate Than Ever," that cuts to the core of anyone who has ever felt different. Rueby Wood is a bundle of budding talent and joyous energy as Nate. Aria Brooks is a fabulous find as his friend who wants to be more. Joshua Bassett explores the nuances of a normally one-dimensional character as Nate's jock brother. And Lisa Kudrow is a delight as the estranged Aunt.

"Better Nate Than Never"�is currently showing exclusively on Disney+.

"100 Years of Men in Love: The Accidental Collection"

A Queer doc like no other, "100 Years of Men in Love: The Accidental Collection" is a transfixing work that consists basically of looking at old photographs for one hour. But what a treasure trove! What began as a small collection of vintage pix by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell of men in varying forms of embrace that suggested they might be more than friends, ended up a photographic history of gay men from 1850-1950. Their book "Loving" is now this amazing doc you cannot look away from for fear you will miss another glimpse into the lives of men who had to live in the shadow but, for a brief moment, decided to not hide who they were, for posterity. Too many docs today are simply manipulated to tell the stories the filmmakers wish to tell. This one allows the subjects to exist as enigmas and the viewer to try and create their own versions of who these guys were.

"100 Years of Men in Love" is showing exclusively on HERE TV.

"West Side Story" 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Digital

As stunning as it was to experience on the big screen, there is something even more robust and magical about Steven Spielberg's visionary remake of the iconic musical, "West Side Story" on 4K. The Jets and Sharks virtually leap out at you – and how hot is that – in this home entertainment presentation of the Oscar-winning (for Queer actor Arianna Debose) film. Watching a third time, I got lost in the love story and truly appreciated the queer content. For instance, it's obvious that Baby John (Patrick Higgins) is madly crushing on Balkan (Kyle Allen) and "Gee, Officer Krupke" is just a smorgasbord of frenzied homoerotic testosterone – it's also a brilliantly dense number. It's a shame that Riff (Faist) and Nardo (David Alvarez) couldn't just fuck their problems out. Rachel Zegler's debut performance as Maria is lovely. And Mike Faist delivers the film's most indelible turn as Riff. The film is currently streaming on various platforms, including HBO Max as part of its subscription. The 4K edition comes with a Blu-ray that boasts a 96-minute making of featurette that is a joy to watch. Rita Moreno's "Somewhere" blunder notwithstanding, this "West Side Story" stands nicely as a companion piece with the 1961 classic.

"West Side Story" is currently available on HBO Max and on 4K, Blu-ray and Digital.

"All My Friends Hate Me"

Andrew Gaynord's anxiety-inducing comedy "All My Friends Hate Me," centers on protag Tom Stourton (who also co-wrote the script with Tom Palmer) gathering with his university mates on his 31st birthday after a decade away volunteering at a refugee camp. But things are slightly off as he discovers that he and the group may not necessarily be able to simply pick up where they left off. And where did they leave off? And why has that annoying stranger, played by Dustin Demri-Burns, infiltrated his party? Is this paranoia born of deep-seated guilt or something more urgent? This well-crafted film makes for an uncomfortable but potent sit and might make you ask some questions about your own friends.

"All My Friends Hate Me" is currently in theaters and on streaming platforms

"The Girl Can't Help It"

Animator turned writer-director Frank Tashlin was a pop-culture satirist and arguably one of the first "meta" filmmakers (before that term was part of our vernacular). "The Girl Can't Help It," released in 1956, is a fascinating curio and a great example of his daring. Jayne Mansfield has, for too long, been dismissed as a Marilyn Monroe knockoff but as John Waters puts it in one of the Criterion's terrific special features, "she was in on the joke," meaning she was a lot savvier than anyone gave her credit for–from her overdone walk to that noise she makes (see the film), she was a force. The film is a De Luxe Color eye popper with a fab gay sensibility and Criterion has done a splendid job of putting this package together. Tashlin pushed boundaries and that included featuring a slew of fab up and coming Black music artists like Little Richard, Fats Domino and The Platters. Juanita Moore mesmerizes in a brief scene dancing wildly as she watches a white rock singer on TV. What Tashlin was trying to say here I will leave up to the watcher.

"The Girl Can't Help It" is streaming on Amazon Prime. The Criterion Blu-ray and DVD are available April 19, 2022

"Gaslit"

No one strikes a pose like Julia Roberts, even when she's made to look a bit on the glam-frump side as the infamous Martha Mitchell in the thrilling new STARZ limited series, "Gaslit." The creatives (led by Robbie Pickering) are looking at Watergate, not through the Woodward/Bernstein eye, but via "untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal," and in doing so have crafted something hilarious, maddening and ever so timely. And while I'm not allowed to go into detail about the series, suffice to say Roberts should get her Emmy speech ready, she is that good. She's like Shelby in "Steel Magnolias" all grown up and waking up to the horrors of the world around her that men have created. Sean Penn is unrecognizable as her scumbag husband John, Nixon's too-loyal Attorney General. I can say that press was given access to the first four episodes. I sat down to watch one. Only. And four hours later, I was pissed off ... that I didn't have the other four!

"Gaslit" premieres on April 24 at midnight on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming, and on-demand platforms and internationally on the STARZPLAY

"Grace and Frankie"

We have spent seven years with the fabulous Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin portraying beloved frenemies turned friends, Grace and Frankie, in the hit Netflix series. No one wanted it to end, yet season 7 marks the series finale. Last August, we were teased with the first 4 episodes. And on April 29, 2022, the final 12 episodes, drop. Suffice to say they're worth the wait, contain some wonderful surprises and you will be binging into the night. Fear not fans of the dynamic octogenarian duo, Jane and Lily just completed filming Paul Weitz's comedy "Moving On" and dived right into "80 for Brady" with Sally Field and Rita Moreno a movie with Tom Brady! Over 40 years ago, we saw the magic created by these actors, along with Dolly Parton, in "9 to 5." "Grace and Frankie" set out to be a comedy that dealt with actual old people problems. And it did. And somehow remained funny 94 history-making episodes later. We always knew Tomlin had that gift, the revelation was that Fonda, a brilliant 2-time Oscar winning actor, could also make us laugh hysterically. Together, they're magic and there seems to be no stopping them. That's the best news.

"Grace and Frankie" Season 7 / Series Finale Episodes 5-16-- premieres April 29, 2022.