Better Man (2024 Film)

''Better Man'' is a 2024 biographical musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Gracey, Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. It is based on the life of the English singer Robbie Williams and stars Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton and Alison Steadman.

Development on ''Better Man'' began in February 2021, after Gracey was announced as director and co-writer alongside Gleeson and Cole. Williams is portrayed as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee, performed by Davies using motion capture, and co-voiced by Williams: this was due to Williams' perception of himself as a "performing monkey" and Gracey's vision of the film as a "satirical musical". No other character comments on his appearance. Williams also re-recorded several songs from his discography for the film. Principal photography began in May 2022 and lasted until June 2023, with filming locations including Docklands Studios in Melbourne, Regent Street and the Royal Albert Hall in London, and Krnjača.

''Better Man'' premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 30 August 2024 and was theatrically released in the United States on 25 December, by Paramount Pictures, and in the United Kingdom a day later, by Entertainment Film Distributors. It grossed $22.5 million worldwide, becoming a box-office bomb, but received positive reviews. ''Better Man'' won nine AACTA Awards, including for Best Film, and was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, BAFTA Film Awards and Visual Effects Society Awards.

Plot

In 1982, in Stoke-on-Trent, eight-year-old Robert Williams is shamed as a loser in the playground. At home, he eagerly emulates the showmanship of his father, Peter, a police constable and an aspiring entertainer who idolises Frank Sinatra. Robert inherits his father's fear of being a "nobody", but Betty, his doting grandmother, encourages Robert to be true to himself.

In a youth production of ''The Pirates of Penzance'', Robert's showboating overcomes his stage fright and wins over the audience, but, shaken by impostor syndrome, he imagines an inner critic who vilifies and threatens himself. Skipping Robert's play, Peter wins a talent show prize, emboldening him to walk out on his family and change his name to pursue stardom. Forced to move out with his mother, Robert salvages the comb that his father used to teach him a preshow ritual ("Feel").

In 1990, Robert writes amateur lyrics and single-mindedly chases fame, in contrast to his friend Nate, who turns down a talent tryout. Elated when Peter reconnects with him, Robert is further inspired watching his father as an entertainer. Robert enters a boy band audition in Manchester, failing to impress manager Nigel Martin-Smith with his outdated traditional pop, but puts on an arrogant swagger which earns him a place. He meets his new bandmates in Take That, including Gary Barlow, already a prodigious child entertainer and songwriter. Martin-Smith dubs him "Robbie", prompting him to invent a celebrity persona, despite Betty's disapproval.

Robbie finds acceptance and liberation during the band's unprofitable stint playing gay clubs. They achieve overwhelming success with teenage girl audiences, even as Robbie's inner critics return, growing in number and malevolence ("I Found Heaven"). This newfound fandom earns the band a record deal in London, and they raucously parade through Regent Street in celebration ("Rock DJ"). Robbie rebels against being subordinate to Gary, but cannot measure up to him in talent—even in Peter's eyes—and falls into depression. After Gary replaces Robbie on lead vocals for "Relight My Fire", Robbie brazenly steals back the lead vocals during a concert despite nearly sabotaging the show with his substance abuse. He is finally fired for his volatility and insubordination, and becomes blamed for the band's subsequent breakup. He resolves to start a solo career in revenge (" Come Undone").

Robbie kindles a romance with fellow celebrity singer Nicole Appleton of All Saints; they become engaged and plan parenthood, but Nicole relents to her manager's demand to terminate the preganancy (" She's the One"), leading to bitter recrimination from Robbie. While Nicole celebrates " Never Ever" charting at number one, Robbie leaves to rub elbows with his idols, the Gallagher brothers, who disdainfully boast of headlining the Knebworth Festival as their crowning achievement.

Producer and songwriter Guy Chambers dismisses Robbie's superficial pop songs, but discovers the potential in his lyrics inspired by personal loss ("Something Beautiful"). Hellbent on playing Knebworth, Robbie launches his solo career, embarking on frenetic touring alongside rampant philandering and alcohol and cocaine use.

His fame skyrocketing, Robbie duets with Tom Jones at the Brit Awards ("Land of 1000 Dances") and is finally booked to headline Knebworth, but fear and addiction drive him to emotional lows. His wilful downward spiral and infidelity alienate Nicole, who breaks off their engagement. Moments before a Top of the Pops performance, Robbie learns that he has missed Betty's passing, after her succumbing to dementia ("Angels"). Trashing his own mansion in grief, Robbie falls out with Nate, who has long put up with an unreciprocated friendship. Having learned that Peter only reconnected with him at Betty's request, Robbie denounces his father—still a small-time entertainer, but a regular backstage guest—as an opportunist and a failure.

On stage at Knebworth before a record-breaking audience, Robbie's self-loathing manifests as a bloodthirsty mob of inner critics, taking the forms of his past selves young and old. As the imaginary mob swarms the stage, he massacres them in an all-out melee, leaving only a mirror image of his present-day self, whom he attempts to kill by slitting his own wrist (" Let Me Entertain You").

Suddenly alone on a frozen lake, Robbie is stopped by a ray of sunlight evoking Betty's memory. Robbie enters rehab, admitting, at a group session, that becoming famous has stunted his maturity and growth. He apologises to Gary, amicably parts with Nicole, reconciles with Nate, and moves past his grief at Betty's grave (" Better Man"). At the Royal Albert Hall, Robbie invites his father onstage in a duet of Sinatra's "My Way", in mutual respect and admiration. Robbie's past selves look on, no longer in criticism but approval, as he concludes the song by honoring Betty.

Cast

Production

Development

The project was announced in February 2021 as co-written and directed by Michael Gracey with Oliver Cole and Simon Gleeson also having co-writing credits, and Gracey also producing alongside Jules Daly for Big Red Films and Craig McMahon for McMahon International. Later that year it was reported that funding also came via the Australian government's Producer Offset and Film Victoria's incentive programmes. The film is distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Roadshow Films with international sales handled by Rocket Science.

Described as a satirical musical, the project was reported to cover three decades of Robbie Williams' stardom, from his first success in the group Take That through the ups and down of his career. The project was reported to "reinterpret and recontextualise" some of his songs.

Casting

Williams described the filming process as "super odd" because he would find himself sitting "in make-up and the lady that's playing your grandma is sitting next to you, and the people playing your mum and dad". Williams is portrayed and voiced by Jonno Davies as a CGI chimpanzee using motion-capture technology. Williams narrates and voices his character in the final scene. While Williams re-recorded many of his songs, Adam Tucker provided additional vocals, including "My Way" and "She's the One" (with Kayleigh McKnight).

Other cast members include Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Anthony Hayes, Damon Herriman and Kate Mulvany, with Williams' Take That bandmates played by Jake Simmance (Barlow), Liam Head (Donald), Jesse Hyde (Owen) and Chase Vollenweider (Orange). Visual effects were provided by Wētā FX, leveraging the studio's experience animating chimpanzees for the ''Planet of the Apes'' reboot film series.

Filming

Gracey wanted to tell the story from the perspective of how Williams saw himself. As Williams often described himself as a "performing monkey", he suggested depicting him as a chimpanzee. Williams said: "I've been a cheeky monkey all my life. There's no more cheekier monkey than the coke-snorting, sex-addict monkey that we find in the movie." He also saw it as a way to avoid the distraction of an actor playing him, with audiences constantly assessing the performance and resemblance. Gracey said: "It desensitises and sensitises you all at the same time. We have deep empathy and compassion for animals, way more than we do for humans." No explanation for his appearance as a chimpanzee is given in the film. As Williams did not want to leave his family for months of filming, he only performed motion capture for the final scene, when he performs "My Way".

Principal photography took place at the Docklands Studios Melbourne, in May and June 2022. For the Royal Albert Hall concert as depicted in the finale, while stage shots were filmed in Melbourne, audience reactions were filmed later using a real, on-location audience—guided by audiovisual prompts—when Williams revisited the venue in actual concert on 6 and 7 November 2022. Members of the public were able to purchase bargain price tickets to attend in evening dress, while other seats were reserved for filming certain shots. Due to an inebriated audience on 6 November, the crew relied on the 7 November concert to obtain a usable take.

The Regent Street musical sequence, which included 500 dancers, was filmed on-location in March 2023; the shoot, which required the street and all businesses to be shut down for four nights, was originally planned for September 2022, but was delayed to 2023 due to the death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, followed by the street being decorated for Christmas season. Filming also took place in Krnjača, between Belgrade and Pančevo, Serbia.

Effects

The on-location Regent Street footage was altered to replace modern-day LED signs with period-appropriate 1990s signage. However, as a deliberate anachronism, the seasonal "Spirit of Christmas" angel light sculptures, which were introduced to Regent Street only in 2016, were digitally inserted as an element of the dance sequence, again using period-appropriate incandescent bulbs.

Because the Knebworth Festival scene is intercut with actual archive footage of the 2003 festival, Wētā needed to accurately recreate the concert lighting design. Lighting control files were obtained from the concert lighting operator. A spatial simulation of the concert lighting rig was created, allowing the files to be imported to control the simulated lights.

Music

Songs performed by Williams in the film include " She's the One", "Angels" and " Let Me Entertain You". Gracey stated that the songs would be "re-sung", to suit "the emotion of the moment" in the film. The original score was composed by Batu Sener. On 22 November 2024, Williams released the single "Forbidden Road", taken from the film's soundtrack; it peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.

The soundtrack album to ''Better Man'' was released on 27 December 2024. On 3 January 2025, the album debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Downloads Chart and at number 4 on the UK Soundtrack Albums Chart. After its release on physical formats, the album debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, giving Williams his fifteenth number 1 album and thus equalling the record for most number one albums with the Beatles.

;Track listing

Charts

Release

''Better Man'' premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2024.Jeremy Kay
"Toronto film festival adds Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Edward Burns, David Mackenzie titles"
. ''Screen Daily'', 22 July 2024. Additionally, the film opened the 55th International Film Festival of India on 20 November 2024.

The film was theatrically released on 26 December 2024 in Australia by Roadshow Films and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film Distributors. It had a limited theatrical release by Paramount Pictures in the United States on 25 December, before a wider release on 10 January 2025. On why Paramount chose to acquire the film, Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian points out that the studio wanted to replicate the success of a traditional sleeper hit where it would bomb theatrically at first and then gradually find momentum by releasing it on home video through positive word-of-mouth, pointing out the allure of the film's bizarre premise as a selling point.

Reception

Box office

''Better Man'' grossed $2 million in the United States and Canada, and $20.5 million in other territories (including a "tepid" $8.5 million and $3.3 million in the UK and Australia, respectively), for a worldwide total of $22.5 million.

In the United States and Canada, ''Better Man'' had a limited release for two weeks before expanding into a wide release in its third weekend, where it was projected to gross $2 million from 1,291 theaters. The film debuted at $1.1 million, finishing outside the box office top 10. The box office in North America was attributed to Williams' obscurity there. However, ''Deadline Hollywood'' noted that the film was bound to fail in the US since it had failed to perform well even in Williams' native United Kingdom. It performed more poorly than films playing on far fewer screens, including ''The Brutalist'' ($1.38 million from 68 theatres) and ''The Last Showgirl'' ($1.53 million from 870 theaters).

Aware of this while making the film, Gracey had attempted to counter the problem by portraying Williams as a primate, hoping the film would resonate with American audiences.

Commercial performance

Following the release of the film onto DVD and on digital download sites in April 2025, ''Better Man'' debuted at number 3 on the UK DVD Chart and peaked at number 8 on the UK Film Chart.

Critical response

Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an 83% overall positive score, with 63% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.

Clint Worthington of ''RogerEbert.com'' awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars. He praised the pacing, the musical sequences and the inventiveness, writing that the use of a monkey to portray Williams delivered a "curveball" away from the usual tropes of the musical biopic. In a 3 1/2 out of 4 star review for ''The Washington Post'', Michael Andor Brodeur described the computer-generated monkey as "astonishingly expressive and strangely disarming" for recounting Williams's journey through fame. In another positive review, Jeannette Catsoulis of ''The New York Times'' commended the film for capturing the vulnerabilities of Williams as he struggled with addiction, insecurity and relationships, writing: "Neither hagiography nor hatchet job, the movie casts an understanding eye on a once-infamous musical artist who weathered dizzying highs and devastating lows".

In a negative review, Kevin Maher of ''The Times'' gave the movie 1 out of 5 stars, viewing it as a self-aggrandising and vapid recounting of Williams's career. Maher wrote: "The subject's decision to cast himself as an 'unevolved' monkey buys him a licence to litter the rest of the movie with tedious therapy-speak, a phoney yearning for acceptance (even as he nurtures delusions of divine grandeur) and a mother lode of narcissistic victimhood".

Filmmakers Tim Fehlbaum and Drew Goddard both cited ''Better Man'' as among their favorite films of 2024, with Fehlbaum saying "This concept is so anarchic and wild that it's hard to put into words how this film works; you have to see it to believe it. Michael Gracey has just created one of the best music biographical films of all time, certainly the most original." The late night host Taylor Tomlinson dedicated a segment of her comedy panel game show '' After Midnight'' to praising ''Better Man''.

Accolades

The song "Forbidden Road" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards. It was initially shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 97th Academy Awards, but was disqualified a few days later after it was found it incorporated material from another song. The film was only nominated for Best Visual Effects.

''Better Man'' received a record-breaking 16 nominations at the 2025 AACTA Awards, winning in nine categories, including Best Film. It was nominated in four categories at the 23rd Visual Effects Society Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Compositing and Lighting in a Feature, and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project. It also received a nomination for Best Special Visual Effects at the 78th British Academy Film Awards.

Notes

References

External links

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Official Screenplay

{{Portal bar, 2020s, Film, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Music, Biographies

2020s American films
2020s Australian films
American biographical films
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Films about father–son relationships
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Films directed by Michael Gracey
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