Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (May 4, 2025)
Though he didn’t make much of a name in the US, Robbie Williams became a musical superstar in the UK via the “Boy Band” Take That and then his solo career. With 2024’s Better Man, we get an unusual view of his life.
In central England circa the 1980s, young Robbie Williams (Carter J. Murphy) endures a difficult home life. However, he experiences happiness and appreciation via his skills as a musical performer.
As he grows, Robbie (Jonno Davies) finds success as a singer. Nonetheless, he struggles with various conflicts that threaten to torpedo all that he accomplished.
That synopsis leads one to believe Better Man will deliver standard biopic material, and to a degree, it does. But the film comes with one crucial difference: the manner in which it depicts its lead character.
As probably anyone who reads this review will know – but this disc’s cover art obscures - Better Man doesn’t show Robbie as a human. Instead, it depicts him as a chimpanzee.
Of course, Better Man means this as a metaphor and doesn’t intend us to believe an actual simian gained fame and fortune as a singer. As an explanation, Williams indicates that he always viewed himself as “less evolved”, and he also has related that he wants this to represent the way he feels like a “performing monkey”.
That last one doesn’t make sense in the context of the film, mainly because Better Man always shows Robbie as a chimp. The “performing monkey” impression doesn’t seem logical for the big chunk of the story that takes place before Williams hit the stage.
Another reason given for Primate Robbie feels the most logical: to shake up the format. Given the scores of musical biopics we’ve gotten over the years, this unusual depiction of the main character becomes a way to stand out from the crowd.
Not that its recent predecessors haven’t also attempted twists on the genre. For instance, 2019’s Elton John tale Rocketman indulged in obvious fantasy at times to illustrate its themes.
That doesn’t seem nearly as audacious as the decision to feature a CG performance capture ape as the lead, though. The big question becomes whether or not Better Man can pull off this nutty conceit.
Maybe?
On one hand, this choice does give Better Man a way to differentiate itself from its many siblings. For better or for worse, “that movie where they make Robbie Williams a CG chimp” gives the flick a real twist.
On the other hand, this decision never feels like anything more than the gimmick it is. Despite the justifications offered by Williams and others involved, Simian Robbie never adds anything meaningful that Human Robbie wouldn’t have achieved.
It doesn’t help that the CG depiction doesn’t feel especially convincing. Simian Robbie suffers from too much “Uncanny Valley” and doesn’t quite come across as realistic.
That said, given how much of Better Man indulges fantasy elements, this becomes less of a problem than one might expect. Since the movie never intends to make us believe it depicts an actual chimp, the lack of verisimilitude doesn’t harm the film.
Though again, none of this helps Better Man, either. As depicted, it basically provides a standard biopic that doesn’t find ways to separate itself beyond Simian Robbie.
Not that this makes Better Man a bad movie, and it fares better than I expected given it comes from Michael Gracey, the director of 2017’s hit The Greatest Showman. Audiences ate up that flick but I thought it turned into a disaster.
Which left me with little confidence that Better Man would fare better. Showman represented Gracey’s debut as a feature director, so I couldn’t take reflect how his talents fared in other films.
Inevitably, Better Man gives us something superior to Showman. That said, it doesn’t excel in any particular manner.
Again, outside of Simian Robbie and a lean toward some fantasy elements, Better Man never comes across as anything outside the norm for the biopic genre. Indeed, it occasionally feels like a remake of Rocketman in the way it reveals a character whose deep insecurities lead him to the brink.
No, I don’t think Better Man becomes a true rip-off of Rocketman. Nonetheless, the similarities seem a little too close for comfort at times.
Better Man offers a decent look at Williams’ life and struggles, but it also tends to become redundant. The movie beats its themes and concepts into the viewer’s head relentlessly, and a lot of these segments come across as redundant.
Seriously – how many scenes in which a panicked Robbie sees disapproving visions of himself can one man take? This turns even more ridiculous when the film forces Robbie to literally fight his demons.
Better Man does occasionally kick to life via some evocative performance numbers. It also moves as a brisk enough pace to keep the viewer reasonably involved.
Nonetheless, Better Man fails to dig deeper than surface level in its view of its subject. This turns into a watchable but superficial biopic.
