Review

Saturday afternoon I decided to escape the heat and see my first movie at the cinema for 2025.

Better Man is the new biopic about Robbie Williams, from the creative mind of director Michael Gracey.

Now in case you are unaware, yes that is a monkey on the film poster and yes, that monkey is portraying Robbie Williams. Since that detail had been announced while the film was in production it has been a talking point. Some sceptical and many curious to see what it would be. Everyone else in the film is portrayed with actors, it is just Robbie to quote the film’s director Gracey that ‘we see, as Robbie sees himself’.

For those unfamiliar Gracey is probably most well know for his work as director on the film ‘The Greatest Showman’. I was lucky enough to go along to a Masterclass in Directing with Michael Gracey back in 2021 where he spoke about his career and delved deep into the process of making ‘The Greatest Showman’. I’ve been left with fond memories of that evening and images of the raw footage we saw for ‘Rewrite the Stars’ that has left a lasting impact on me. It was at that session where Michael gave us the heads up of a new film he was working on, a Robbie Williams biopic, after it was revealed that Robbie played a part during the making of ‘The Greatest Showman’.

I’ve also been lucky enough to see Robbie Williams live in Australia twice.

So safe to say that I was going into this film a fan of both the creator of the film and the subject matter!

I found this to be an enjoyable film with a nicely layered narrative. Robbie’s personal story of becoming famous at a young age and his personal battles faced over the years provides the foundations of a story tell. It is his great back catalogue of songs and his personality (the cheeky and charismatic character) that makes it one to see. And the fact that they have chosen to portray Robbie as monkey is what will make it stand out from the pack of biopics being released and likely draw in people who aren’t Robbie Williams fans.

The film had me laughing out loud, to crying (I had two big teary moments), as well as being uncomfortable with some of the tough themes In Rob’s life. It’s one of those narratives which builds through those emotions so cleverly that as a viewer you just ride the wave of emotions. Yes, when reflecting back I can see how certain scenes are there to build a certain emotion but I didn’t have that analysis going while viewing. Unfortunately not all films can achieve this.

Better Man was filmed largely in Melbourne and there are plenty of familiar Aussie actors you will recognise. Just a couple to mention are Damon Herriman as the band manager of Take That, Kate Mulvany as Robbie’s mum, and John Waters as Michael Parkinson.

One of the things that I liked about the film is the use of Robbie’s songs. They are peppered throughout the film and rather than used in chronological order are coupled with the scene to match the emotion being conveyed. That was something that I really liked from the Elton John biopic ‘Rocketman’. It also gives the film a sense of being timeless. If you were around at the time of these events, you can map in your mind the late 90s for example, but having a timestamp on screen isn’t required to tell this story. I think that also helps not distract the viewer from where in the narrative we are, so you’re not thinking about the film duration.

Some of the songs are used in their entirety while others you may have to keep an ear for. This was another nice touch which I liked from the film.

My favourite scene from Better Man is the ‘Rock DJ’ sequence. This is used to depict the period where Robbie is in the band ‘Take That’. The sequence starts as the band is signed and shows the rising popularity of the band, particularly with young girls. The band sing the song together while making their way down Regent Street, London causing all sorts of chaos, a visual metaphor of their success in the UK at the time. The song builds up and ends at Piccadilly Circus with an incredibly grand dance sequence covering the whole street. From the chorography, to the costumes, to the pause added between the lyrics ‘When’s it gonna stop’ [pause] ‘DJ’ makes every second of this sequence just incredible. I can’t convey how much I adored this sequence. It is so spectacular and looks amazing on the big screen.

My second favourite sequence would have to be for the ‘She’s the One’ dance sequence used on the night when Robbie met Nicole Appleton. Ashley Wallen’s choreography here is magical. The song also covers a lot of the relationship between Robbie and Nicole flashing back and forth between that first night and periods of their relationship. It’s no coincidence that this scene gives parallels to the dance sequence with Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams for ‘A Million Dreams’ in The Greatest Showman, as Wallen also worked on that film. Wallen and Gracey are greatly paired to make beautiful films. The emotion through dance transferred to screen they achieve is wonderful. It makes me truly appreciate the art of cinema.

The scenes which use ‘Come Undone’ and ‘Let Me Entertain You’ are also very powerful sequences that are at the core of what this film is about. How Robbie sees himself and the struggles he has/does deal with. Those sequences are so emotionally charged and without spoiling anything the ‘Let Me Entertain You’ scene elevates this film and separates it from many biopics. With stories dealings with diseases of the mind, that can be a difficult thing to visualise on a screen but also gives a filmmaker the ability to dip into fantasy and create beautiful visual analogies. Both of these sequences caused me some distress and uncomfortable feelings but I think that is the point (at least I hope!)

While I potentially could comment on use of all the songs, I’m not going to do that! I’ll leave some of that for you to experience in your own viewing.

I’m guessing at this point you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned the monkey. To be honest, it’s kind of like that watching the film. You clearly notice it at the start but as the film progresses, it’s not really a thing. Clearly what makes the film work so well is Jonno Davis who is the actor behind the motion capture. The visual effects are absolutely spectacular but for the facial expressions and personality characteristics to really pay off, the person under that motion capture has to be doing the work. And Davis has done a sensational job. It almost sounds outlandish to say but without his performance, I don’t think this film works as well as it does.

This is certainly a film for fans of Robbie Williams, the creators attached to The Greatest Showman, music biopics, and/or of visual effects.

If you’d like to know a little more about Robbie Williams, I would suggest his documentary on Netflix. It covers much of what is in this film in more detail in a more traditional documentary format. You certainly don’t need to watch it before seeing the film.

Catch Better Man while at the cinemas. It looks truly fantastic on the big screen and you’ll have an enjoyable time.

Rating:  Great