Better Man
Trace Robbie Williams' arc from childhood through his ascent as the youngest member of the chart-topping boyband Take That, culminating in his exceptional, record-breaking success as a solo artist—all while navigating the pressures and challenges that accompany extraordinary fame and achievement.
Director(s)
Spencer Susser
Michael Gracey
Erin Lander
Ashlee Hamilton
Lee Cleary
Merran Elliot
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Cast & Crew
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Reviews
CinemaSerf
There's something about the use of the monkey to characterise Robbie Williams that makes this quite a visceral watch at times. The film tells the story of the fairly turbulent rise of this "Take That" singer from boyhood exponent of Gilbert and Sullivan to a man on the right end of an £80 millions record deal. His dad (Steve Pemberton) went off to a football match whilst he was a child and never came back, and that left him with his mum "Janet" (Kate Mulvany) and adoring nan (Alison Steadman) living a pretty much hand to mouth existence and leaving him with a pretty solid foundation for his later emotional and trust issues. Unless you've lived on the moon these last twenty years, then you'll know much of what happens next. What does make this stand out a little more is the fact that Williams himself is behind the project and is in no way afraid to portray himself as a complete ass. His drink, drugs, tantrums and generally spoilt brattishness are laid bare with little, if any, attempt to sanitise. In some ways it reminded me of the recent "Amy" biopic and came hot on the heels of a recent viewing of "Easter Parade" (1948) with both serving, for completely different reasons, to augment the thrust of this story of a person who attained great stardom, success and wealth - and ultimately ended up with addictions galore and few, real, friends amidst a sea of hangers-on and parasites all too eager to selfishly cash in on the fame of a lad who started aged just fifteen. Of course it's not exactly balanced, and I'm sure the gospel according to Robbie might not be quite how others see their own behaviour (or his) but there is an honesty to this that brings home just how ruthless the music business is and at just how fickle fame can be when those we idolise lose their lustre. It doesn't do it any harm that many of his solo songs work well through big screen audio with some classy string arrangements and powerful vocals to remind us that, unlike many of the largely forgotten "Take That" singles, his music - especially the stuff he made with Guy Chambers - is the stuff we will really long remember. It's not for the faint hearted, but still well worth a watch.
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Media engagement
Robbie Williams Reacts to BETTER MAN Standing Ovation | TIFF 2024
Better Man | Behind the Story (2024 Movie) – Robbie Williams, Michael Gracey, Jonno Davies
BETTER MAN Intro + Q&A With Robbie Williams & Michael Gracey | TIFF 2024
Monkeying Around w Robbie Williams | ‘Better Man’ Q&A w Director Michael Gracey & Sam Levinson
Better Man | Why the Monkey? (2024 Movie) – Robbie Williams, Michael Gracey