BETTER MAN is directed by Michael Gracey. The film stars Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Alison Steadman, and Steve Pemberton.
Pop star Robbie Williams, depicted as a chimpanzee via CGI and motion capture in the film, rises up from low-class surroundings to become a pop sensation with boy band Take That. Once fired from the group, he launches a successful solo career and rises up the charts, but continues to fight his inner demons, drowning himself in a world of drug and alcohol abuse, hurting himself and those around him. Despite it all, he pushes forward on a journey to redemption and an effort to maintain his musical relevance.
I’m a rock and roll guy. I don’t generally listen to modern pop or “boy bands.” But despite that, I love all types of music films, whether they’re biopics, documentaries, concert films, or works of fiction, no matter what genre they may be covering. Outside of a song or two, I’m not someone too familiar with Robbie Williams (he’s far more famous and successful in his native UK), but was certainly eager to learn more about the guy and his backstory and musical career. While the chimpanzee gimmick is completely unnecessary and feels like more of a distraction than an enhancement, BETTER MAN is still surprisingly strong. It doesn’t reinvent the music biopic, but it’s certainly good enough for fans.
BETTER MAN takes its audience on an interesting R-rated odyssey through the turbulent life of Robbie Williams, from his younger years seeing his father leave home to pursue a world of low-paying entertainment, to finding himself on stage, becoming a superstar but distant from the people closest and most important to him. The film does a solid job showing the highs and lows of his career, and the movie is surprisingly unflinching and doesn’t even paint the best picture of Mr. Williams (has there ever been a music biopic about someone who ISN’T an addict at some point in their life?) I do appreciate the unflinching honestly on display here; even Williams himself (voicing his adult self) isn’t afraid to toss himself a few self-depreciating jabs.
The production of the film is just as good. This is the second feature-length narrative film from director Michael Gracey; he’d previously helped 2017’s THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. As far as past music-based films go, BETTER MAN probably has the most in common with ROCKETMAN, the Elton John movie that came out a few years back. Both films are essentially biopics, but have choreographed musical sequences to give them a sensationalist and surreal element to make them stand apart from other films of the music biopic genre, straddling the line between biopics and the musical genre at times. Does BETTER MAN follow biopic cliches a bit too closely at times? Absolutely, but I’ll be damned if I couldn’t take my eyes off it. A lengthy choreographed sequence of Take That performing in the middle of a crowded Piccadilly Circus definitely ranks among my favorite moments on the big screen of 2024.
And then we come to the (literal) monkey in the room. The decision to depict Williams is a chimpanzee is the film is a bit of a head scratcher. The effect is done surprisingly well; this character looks like he could’ve just walked off the set of the last PLANET OF THE APES film. But was it needed? The exact reason for this seems to differ from source to source. Some places say it’s because Williams sees himself as “less evolved” than other people, while another school of thought says it’s because he sees himself as a “performing monkey” for other people. Whatever the reason, it simply wasn’t needed. The story and the narrative of this film, not to mention the music and the performing numbers, were strong enough without a need for CG gimmickry.
I’m not sure how much an American audience is going to go for a film based on Robbie Williams, an artist who is far more successful in his native land, but I won’t deny that I enjoyed BETTER MAN. It can’t quite rise above the cliches of the music biopic genre and may treat its hero a bit harshly at times, but it’s surprisingly effective. If you can get over the unnecessary chimp gimmick, it’s a strong film, though certainly not one for the faint of heart or easily offended. Recommended.
By Taylor T Carlson
Taylor T Carlson Assistant Editor/Senior Staff Writer Taylor T. Carlson was born August 17, 1984, and has called the Vegas Valley home his entire life. A die-hard fan of classic rock and metal music, Taylor has been writing album and concert reviews since he was 16 years old, and continues to do so, having done well over 1,000 reviews. He is also a fan of video gaming and cinema, and has reviewed a number of games and films as well, old and new alike. His thorough and honest (some would say brutally honest) reviewing style has won him the respect of hundreds of music fans and musicians alike, both local and abroad, and the ire of just as many others. Despite being one of the youngest attendees at classic hard rock/metal shows around Vegas, he is also one of the most knowledgeable, having gained the unofficial nickname of “The Eddie Trunk of Las Vegas.” In addition to reviews, Taylor has written and self-published three books on classic hard rock bands, and is a regular participant in rock and roll trivia contests. Taylor also holds a masters degree in special education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Pawn Stars. His dream is to be able to one day make a living from writing music books and reviews.