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Better Man • Robbie Williams Biopic (2024)

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    Btw, just wanted to say thanks to Joseph & Philip for unlimited by pages threads nowadays. So I suppose you have already noted now the Better Man thread is combined and not divided anymore :)

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    Better Man review by Bobby Blakey Throughout the years there have been a ton of biographical films focusing on the careers of musicians and bands. Within them there are a select few that took a more

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On 28/03/2025 at 05:08, Better Man said:

Btw, just wanted to say thanks to Joseph & Philip for unlimited by pages threads nowadays.

So I suppose you have already noted now the Better Man thread is combined and not divided anymore :)

Great to see threads amalgamated, really nice feature ...

Still finding some nice reviews & comments .. 😊, Film may not have been a commcercoal success but he certainly has picked up some new fans along the way

I Watched Better Man Knowing Little About Robbie Williams. Why I Think The Chimp Decision Was A Great Idea

Features

By Mick Joest published March 24, 2025

It might seem weird, but hear me out.

It's no secret that while pop star Robbie Williams is well-known in many parts of the world, he's pretty obscure as far as celebrities go in the United States. As a result, a decision was made to portray him as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee in his biopic Better Man, and while that sounds like a goofy gimmick, I'll defend it as a great idea for a fantastic movie. After watching Better Man with my Paramount+ subscription, I'm on board with our review skewing positively on Robbie Williams' story and his journey to stardom. While it's easy to write off this movie as someone who heard the monkey stunt and didn't know anything about Williams, I'm here to say anyone who overlooks it is missing out on a great movie that is one of the more exciting biopics I've seen.

Young Robbie Williams with his father

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Better Man's Use Of A Chimp Helps Soften Some Of The Horrifically Sad Moments Of The Film

Robbie Williams is a tongue-in-cheek performer, with much of his music hitting on some of the struggles highlighted in more depth in Better Man. I think a difference would be that while singing about cocaine addiction in a song can be sad, the feeling is fleeting because of its length. When faced with it in a biopic, chimp or not, there are some dark moments highlighted at length with some brutal honesty that is hard to watch.

Even before Better Man gets into the throws of drug addiction or the very uncomfortable chimp orgasm scene, we see the heartbreaking origin of where Robbie Williams' quest for superstardom begins. At the heart of the story is a child ultimately seeking his father's approval and only getting it when he reaches the highest peaks of his success. To be quite blunt, it's a brutally honest and horrifically sad movie that I would say is a little too dark for Robbie Williams' brand. Making the leading character a CGI chimp helps soften the blow of some of the terribly sad moments, and I'll be honest, there are times when it's needed. I think it's worthy of inclusion on our best biopics list, mainly because it does little to defend its subject in some of his worst moments. I think that with a regular actor in the role, some may feel the movie is too dark for Williams in a way that his performances aren't, and having a chimp certainly helps.

Robbie with his boy band listening to their manager

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

The Story Gets So Good You'll Stop Caring He's A Monkey

The unflinching picture of Robbie Williams in Better Man is not pleasant. As an outsider looking in and largely unaware of the real-life events being portrayed, I was shocked that the film doesn't shy away from portraying him as the villain or problem in some of its bigger events. At the same time, we get Williams' perspective on the matter, and we know why he makes the decisions that he does based on his upbringing and the mantra of becoming famous that he carried on throughout his life. It's nuanced, it's traumatic, and it's so good you honestly begin to stop caring that Williams is being portrayed by a CGI chimp throughout the movie. That's not to say you'll ever forget it, especially when he switches to having bleach blonde hair, but there gets to a point very early in the movie where it just stops being something to get hung up on. I'll be so bold to say that if you get fifteen minutes into this movie and you're still bugged by the fact he's a monkey, you're not paying enough attention.

I think it's because I stopped caring that Robbie Williams was portrayed as a monkey that I began to appreciate Better Man even more. To take such bold subject matter ranging from Boyband exploitation (which is also highlighted in the docuseries Boybands Forever) to drug abuse and have the stone even to consider not playing it straight down the line and potentially win an Oscar for it. That's the kind of move that I've realized only someone like Williams would make.

Robbie falling down the staircase floating in midair

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Better Man Might've Flopped In Theaters, But The Ape Gimmick Was Enough For Me To Check It Out On Streaming

Better Man was a box office flop, but let's get one thing straight: financial success is not always indicative of quality. Plenty of movies with atrociously low scores on Rotten Tomatoes have topped box office charts this year, so don't always follow the money when it comes to movie recommendations.

I think Robbie Williams' biopic has the potential to be one of those movies that gets a lot more buzz now that it's on streaming, or at least that's my hope now that anyone who has Paramount+ has the ability to check it out. After watching, the best compliment I can give is that upcoming biopics have a lot to live up to and will be much harder to tune into without this kind of unflinching honesty front and center of the narrative.

All this to say, maybe you think it's stupid that Better Man decided to portray Robbie Williams as an ape. That's an opinion I would reckon is held by many people who have no interest in watching and won't be checking it out. I assure you, it's the biggest hurdle to overcome in checking out this movie, but once you get over it, you're going to realize like it did that it's not a big deal in the slightest. Truth be told, I watched it thinking of an angle in mind of whether the chimp decision ended up hurting a movie that would've been solid otherwise. As I've shown extensively through many points above, I don't think this movie is great unless it was done exactly the way it was made. Everyone involved in this movie has something to be proud of with what they accomplished, and I daresay this movie has inspired me to learn a little bit more about Robbie Williams and check out some more of his music. Can't say I felt the same way after watching many other biopics!

Better Man is available to stream on Paramount+. Check it out along with all the other quality movies on the platform, especially if you bundle the streamer with Showtime.

Mick Joest Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

Comments

  1. Comment by Ross.

    Ross1 day ago

    Spot on comments on a hugely underrated bit of film making’

  2. Comment by Christian Mejorada.

    Christian Mejorada3 days ago

    You are absolutely spot on! I watched this during its premier here during TIFF with the cast and director present. It's a great movie that people are missing on. I truly hope now that it is streaming that people finally go and watch it!

    4. Comment by Laura Olson.

    Laura Olson3 days ago

    I'd never heard of this man but as a biopic fan (and I too was drawn in by the monkey) I decided to watch it on Paramount+. It was so riveting and touching I had to look this man up once I finished (at least I had to know what he really looked like!) I'm only sad it took this long to discover him (also in my 50's). So, I'm listening to all his music now and have become quite obsessed. Its a brilliant movie.

    reply

    5. Comment by Mkimber.

    Mkimber4 days ago

    AWESOME film!! One of the best movies I've seen in a while, so creative and well-done. Loved it.

    6. Comment by Julz.

    Julz4 days ago

    It was a fantastic film. Certain songs bought a frog to my throat cos so much time has passed. It's time you can't get back.

    I Watched Better Man Knowing Little About Robbie Williams. Why I Think The Chimp Decision Was A Great Idea | Cinemablend

Theatre school youngsters starring in Robbie Williams’ film Better Man

10 hrs ago

By Angela KellyColumnist

A Bolton theatre school is celebrating 13 of its youngsters taking part in the new Robbie Williams’ hit film Better Man.

Interact School of Performing Arts is based at Walmsley Parish Hall in Egerton during the week, and at St Peter’s Parish Centre in Halliwell on Saturday mornings .The school was founded seven years ago by freelance actors and acting coaches Lucy Pearson, who grew up in Egerton, and Emma Gilbertson from Westhoughton.

Interact specialises in training youngsters from four to 18 in musical theatre, acting and performing arts including auditions and shows.

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Interact youngsters taking part in a performance of Fame (Image: Supplied)

Both founders went to acting schools, Lucy to the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London and Emma to the Manchester School of Acting. They started their business with just four students and now have around 300. Their youngsters have performed at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, Blackpool Opera House and Bolton’s Albert Halls and also appear in in-house productions at Walmsley. They came to the attention of Better Man’s casting director Emma Stafford, who lives in Egerton, because the sister of her assistant attends Interact sessions.

She needed to audition regional theatre schools when the film’s director, Michael Gracey, wanted to “boost the sound” on the biopic of the Stoke-born singer’s life with authentic Northern voices.

Emma said: “Interact were above everyone else by a country mile.

"The depth and breadth of the sound of the kids and how they took direction was brilliant.”

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Emma Gilbertson, left, and Lucy Pearson (Image: Supplied)For the recording in Manchester, they had to learn one of the film’s songs – a Gilbert and Sullivan song from The Pirates of Penzance, reflecting the period of Robbie's life when he starred in a school production.

They also wanted some of them to speak lines in a scene where young Robbie was badly bullied at school.

Lucy said: “They were amazing and they loved the experience.” As 11-year-old, Helena put it: “It was so exciting and fun! I learnt so much from it.” Maya, 13, said: “It was an incredible opportunity, considering this was my first time working in the industry. "It was amazing to see how it all went on behind the scenes.”

The innovative film, which was five years in the making, depicts Robbie as a chimpanzee using motion-capture technology alongside human stars.

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The poster for the Robbie Williams film Better Man (Image: Supplied)The singer has often referred to himself as “a performing monkey".

When they viewed it, Emma and Lucy and the Interact youngsters were all delighted with the results.

And film critics were full of praise, hailing the groundbreaking movie “totally enthralling".

Theatre school youngsters starring in Robbie Williams’ film Better Man | The Bolton News

New data are in violet.

Box Office (by 01.04)

UK ($8,464,028)

Australia ($3,335,516)

France ($2,208,625)

Germany ($2,144,483)

USA ($1,983,648)

Mexico ($1,929,500)

Netherlands ($631,134)

Italy ($606,759)

Spain ($362,282)

New Zealand ($326,317)

Russia ($230,180)

Norway ($164,898)

Belgium ($128,393)

UAE ($104,258)

Finland ($90,070)

Czech Republic ($67,727)

Croatia ($51,958)

Colombia ($44,606)

Slovakia ($40,626)

Portugal ($40,510)

Romania ($37,873)

Hungary ($34,595)

South Africa ($29,944)

Bulgaria ($26,031)

Slovenia ($25,383)

Lithuania ($23,940)

Iceland ($13,149)

Total (official data): $23 146 433

Total (Better Man user estimations): $28 855 000 (incl. Peru & additional unregistered data of USA, Italy, Spain, Germany)

I'm happy to see the movie is going strong in South America. The release of the DVD is up next week :)

In this episode of Songs in a Film, we dive into the incredible soundtrack of Better Man (2024), the biopic about Robbie Williams. From anthems like Angels and Let Me Entertain You to the unreleased Forbidden Road, we analyze how these songs reflect key moments in the life of the iconic British artist. 🎤✨ If you're a Robbie Williams fan or love musical films, this episode is for you! Don’t forget to subscribe and share your favorite song from the movie in the comments.

Video thank to https://www.youtube.com/@teolazo

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