Robbie Williams’ “Better Man” Is a Biopic Where a Monkey Takes Center Stage

Better Man is in select theaters on Christmas Day and nationwide on January 10th, 2025.

Trying to explain to the uninitiated what ‘Better Man’ actually is could make you sound like an insane person. British pop star Robbie Williams? Check. Musical biopic? Check. ‘The Greatest Showman’ director Michael Gracey? Check. Robbie Williams portrayed as a CGI monkey surrounded by actual people? Wait, what?

‘Better Man’ tries to cure movie audiences of musical biopic burnout by exchanging the lead subject, Robbie Williams, with a monkey. Williams (the real Williams, not the monkey) appeared onscreen before the showing at Fantastic Fest 2024 to explain to audiences that despite his success as a performer, he still always saw himself as a dancing monkey, leading them to take that idea and run with it for the film depicting his life. While it’s a fun idea on paper, the movie still plays out as a traditional biopic drama…just with a chimpanzee at the center of it.

To be fully transparent, I was not fully aware of Williams’ life story prior to seeing the film.

The movie highlights Williams’ upbringing as a musical talent before earning a spot in the British boy band Take That. It then showcases Williams’ descent into the world of drugs and alcohol during a successful solo career before getting everything all sorted out. Williams actually voices the adult version of himself, while Jonno Davies voices a younger version.

The monkey of it all is interesting. It’s certainly a way to raise eyebrows concerning the subject matter. The digital effects are great, rivaling the best-looking primates in the recent entries of the ‘Planet of the Apes franchise. No one in the film acknowledges that Williams is a primate; it’s just for the entertainment of the audience. And while it does entertain at first, once you’ve adapted to the visuals, it still just plays out like a normal musical biopic. It’s a good musical biopic, but a biopic nonetheless. There are some standout musical numbers (‘Rock DJ’ is a highlight), but we’ve seen the descent into drugs and alcohol in rock and roll several times before.

Verdict

‘Better Man’ is a fascinating idea on paper that intrigues before settling into a more traditional biopic. Luckily, it’s one of the better versions of the oversaturated genre, with a great performance from Williams as he lends voice to his inner primate.