Better Man

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Robbie Williams tells the story of his tumultuous career, characterized as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee, in Better Man. Growing up in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England, Robert Williams (Jonno Davies) dreams of being a performer like his absentee father Peter (Steve Pemberton). Robert gets his big break at 15 when he is chosen by manager Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman) to be part of the boy band Take That. However, the newly rechristened Robbie struggles to escape from the shadow of lead singer Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance) and begins to turn to drugs and alcohol to deal with his growing depression.

After being kicked out of Take That, Robbie hopes to make it as a solo performer and enters into a relationship with fellow pop star Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) of the group All Saints. However, even as Robbie Williams begins to become a massive success, his demons begin to catch up with him. Robbie is booked to play at Knebworth in front of 125,000 fans, which will either make or break him.

Better Man Synopsis

Better Man is a jukebox musical biopic about Robbie Williams, co-written and directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman). The main gimmick of the film is that Williams is depicted in the film as a “less evolved than other people” anthropomorphic chimpanzee, played via motion capture by Jonno Davies, as Robbie Williams himself does the film’s narration. Similar to the Elton John biopic Rocketman, which Michael Gracey was a producer on, the songs in the film come from Robbie Williams’ repertoire, even if they aren’t specifically from the 1990s time period of the story.

While Better Man gives no real in-plot reasoning for why Robbie Williams is depicted as a chimpanzee, it can be interpreted as a metaphor for the depression and substance abuse that plagued the singer during his younger years. Throughout the film, Robbie Williams is plagued with visions of various iterations of himself, criticizing Robbie as he performs. This comes to a head when Robbie Williams has his largest show at the Knebworth Festival.

My Thoughts on Better Man

The biggest strength of Better Man is also arguably the film’s greatest weakness. By depicting Robbie Williams as a chimpanzee, Better Man becomes more akin to Weird: The Al Yankovic Story in being a music biopic that doesn’t take itself all too seriously. However, while Robbie Williams is one of the biggest UK pop stars, he never ended up making much of a mark in North America. As such, it’s understandable that those unfamiliar with Robbie Williams would be confused at not only why there’s a biopic about him, but why he is depicted as a monkey. The film also features some Easter Eggs that aren’t fully explained, such as visuals of Robbie Williams in KISS makeup or without any skin.

I am someone who was already a fan of Robbie Williams before going into Better Man, and I can confidently say that this is a film that fans would generally enjoy. The soundtrack includes all the big songs that helped to make Robbie Williams a big star as a solo artist, performed in new recordings sung by both Williams and soundalike Adam Tucker, including “She’s the One,” “Angels,” and “Let Me Entertain You.” However, arguably the showstopping musical number of Better Man is Robbie Williams’ 2000 hit “Rock DJ,” its infamous music video the source of the aforementioned skinless Robbie, performed as a full song-and-dance number down London’s Regent Street.

Even for those not previously a fan of Robbie Williams, Better Man still ends up being an entertaining biopic, which also provides a look behind the scenes at the 1990s British music scene, which found success both through pop groups like Take That and All Saints and the rockier “Britpop” bands like Oasis. Robbie Williams’ tumultuous relationship with All Saints’ Nicole Appleton plays a major role in the second half of the film, with one moment in particular contributing to his downward spiral. The plot also deals with Robbie Williams’ relationship with his father Peter, who frequently comes in and out of his life.

When it is all said and done, Better Man is a film that will probably not make any new fans of Robbie Williams. However, Michael Gracey ends up doing a good job of turning his story into an entertaining jukebox musical. As such, even if you’ve never heard of Robbie Williams before, I recommend giving Better Man a watch.

Trailer for Better Man