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I've never felt moved enough by a film before to feel the need to write a review - I haven't laughed and cried so much in the cinema for a very long time I've never been a massive Robbie Williams/Take that fan - so this is not a super fan review This film was a first hand gut wrenching look at how awful fame can be in all its inglorious brutal reality.

In a year of lacklustre disappointing cinema this was a shining light of entertainment - with some excellent story telling, singing and dance routines (and an all too real glimpse into the lives of Robbie and his family).

Watching the main themes of abandonment, alcoholism, addiction, helplessness & forgiveness play out in this story was exceptionally moving and a biopic to be remembered and revered.

The documentary that follows the struggles of pop star Robbie Williams as he navigates his way through fame.

I shall start by saying I am not a Robbie Williams fan. He's had some great tracks out in the past, I actually know all the words to Angels, and that's only 1 of about a dozen songs I know all the words to, 9 of them being Taylor Swift songs. But anyway, my friend wanted to see the film as she is a big Williams fan so I agreed to accompany her and boy, am I glad I did.

Why is there an ape instead of Robbie Williams? Well Williams claims that fame is dogged by people expecting him to be a performing monkey. And I concur with that. You only have to watch modern chat shows to realise that all people want their stars to do is perform like a monkey for them. This is Robbie at his most truthful, telling it like it is without fear of repercussion. I like him already, as I like truthful people. This though extends into his film too. His film is not about his music, there's only 2 or 3 tracks played the whole way through. The film is not even really about his fame directly: the film is about him. How he copes (or does not) with fame, how he copes with competition (or does not) how he copes with rejection and frustration, (or does not), how he revels in drink and drugs and how he eventually sinks so low and alienates his closest friends that he has to seek therapy to bring him back to a functioning human.

It is a staggeringly honest film and he does not shirk from his mistakes, nor the mistakes of others. He does not portray himself as a victim although in some ways I think he was. He wants everyone to understand who he is, who he was, and what shaped him to this point.

The cinematography is exquisite. The lighting and colours beautiful, the dancing at times is mesmerising: the scene in the main street that appears to have thousands of people in is just cinematic perfection. The CGI ape dances like the best dancer in the world and it is so great to watch I was actually taken aback by how beautiful it was.

I now have a positive opinion of this man who can bare his soul to all and sundry and do it with panache and style and brutal honesty. I would urge anyone who likes cinema to watch this film just for the cinematic experience if nothing else. Kudos to Erik Wilson (cinematographer), beautiful work. I gave it a solid 8.

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.

Better Man (2024) is a movie I first heard about from Fantastic Fest back in September and I thought that this was the most ridiculous thing I've heard about all year long. Then I watched the movie and it kicked a lot of ass.

Positives for Better Man (2024): Now on paper, this is a movie that shouldn't have worked for me and somehow the filmmakers actually got me to care about the story of Robbie Williams as a CGI ape via Planet of the Apes. Yes, I know it sounds like I made that stuff up, but I swear that this is a real movie. There are moments where I cared about what was happening in the story. I also have to give props to the filmmakers for making this a fantasy musical because as wacky as the movie is, everything about it worked for me. And finally, this movie is a perfect example of how to take a ridiculous premise for any movie and actually get audiences to care about the story and the characters.

Overall, Better Man (2024) is one of the biggest surprise for in 2024 and I am so happy that I love this movie. This is one of the movies that I will be recommending to people the most.

I didn't know what to expect from the movie as i thought it would be quite weird to see Robbie as a monkey.

Eventually the monkey adds a lot to the movie. You fall in love with him immediately, and after a few minutes it IS Robbie. Jonno Davies who plays Robbie is a brilliant actor. Although u don't see his face, he certainly knows how to represent him.

The story is a story that will touch your heart. It's not just about Robbie the Popstar, but it's a story about his younger years as well. I have so much respect for him. He dares to be so vurnerable in this movie, with a lot of stories about his personal life, career and challenges he had to face. The music and the visuals also add a lot to the movie.

The movie is a mix of laughter but certainly tears as well. At the end it left me speechless, tears in my eyes, but most of all PROUD of who he is today.

I think how you view this film might depend on whether you have a bit of empathy or familiarity towards Robbie Williams, or at least like his music. If you don't have that empathy, or familiarity with his tunes/background, then this is more a saga about what the music scene, some years ago (and maybe now?) can do to an individual.

On the other hand, you could also view this as one "oh dear, look at me and how hard I found fame, given my tough background" self indulgent mea culpa.

I have to say, though, I enjoyed it. I think I must be on the empathetic, like the music side of things.

The idea of having a CGI monkey is excellent, if Robbie, or a look alike (maybe it is one) had starred, it would have felt far more self indulgent. As it was, it was watchable, well written and directed.

The film was, however too long (by about 15-20 mins), the middle too repetitive, and the ending too schmalzy. Still, the music is good and, generally not overdone (I hate musicals).

Worth a watch.

"Better Man" is a surprising flick.

Not because of the monkey, the effect of that gimmick wears off pretty quickly. Although it is surprising how fast I became accustomed to the singing chimpanzee and how invested and heartened I got by the story.

But even though all of that is true, the main motive for my astoundment was how honest the movie was.

"Better Man" gives us a very raw look into Robbie Williams life, flaws and all. Actually, his flaws are what's under the spotlight. Even the choice of representing himself as an ape reflects that. At the beginning of the movie, Robbie's voice-over explains to us that we are about to see how he sees himself.

William's suffered from eating disorders, self-image problems and a multitude of mental health and drug related issues. "Better Man" doesn't shy away from the various factors that forged this hellish psychological landscape and offers us interesting insight into the life and mind of an artist that, on top of all that, also suffered from "fame".

Despite this, I found the movie to be an assault on the senses. It's too much all the time, with brief moments of rest inbetween. After the story picks momentum, it doesn't stop. Conversations mend with narration. Each event unravels into the next. An emotional moment turns into song and it never lets up. At 2 hours and 15 minutes runtime, it's a very tiring ordeal. Nonetheless, it's narratively cohesive and it makes sense to be like this. It even makes sense that the film offers us zero introspection. It's all a fitting portrayal of the person it aims to represent on-screen and consistent with its objective of entertaining audiences. It's just a shame it didn't reach one.

Better Man is how biopics should be told if their subject is still around as it tells Robbie Williams story from his perspective in every aspect, from his own narration infused with boat loads of northern charm to the biggest swing it takes in the form of the CGI ape taking centre stage as a perfect metaphor for the way he sees himself. It's refreshingly honest and deeply personal with big Rocketman vibes and a high energy it sustains from the moment it arrives.

This is a story about the perils of being addicted to the spotlight and the emotion that comes attached to it is only enhanced by the performance capture and visual effects employed to bring this less evolved Robbie Williams to life. It's not like most other lead performances in biopics since Williams himself is present in the narration and songs, so it becomes a case of his work and Jonno Davies' seamless performance moving as one.

Michael Gracey's direction confirms that he's got a gift for directing musicals by making them as visually dynamic as possible. The musical numbers are so inventive and do some truly insane things that work beautifully because of how they help to tell the story and communicate everything Robbie is struggling with as it goes along. There's a lot of speedy transitions contained in them as well which really helps to maintain the energy.

Never a big fan of Robbie Williams, but I am the right age to have seen most of the public events of the film unfold and I did really end up enjoying this film.

From an early age, Robbie Williams (Jonno Davies) is told two conflicting ideas. His father Peter (Steve Pemberton) is a small-time singer and comedian and tells him that you have to be a star, or you're nothing. And also, by guidance councillors and bullies, that he has no talent and won't amount to anything. He takes his desire to show off and auditions for a new boyband being put together in Manchester. Take That become a nationwide phenomenon, and whilst it's not professionally satisfying for Williams, it does give him money, booze, girls and drugs. When the excesses become unmanageable, he's asked to leave the band and decides to become a solo artist and though success arrives there too, his demons are never too far behind.

It's hard not to start by talking about the films U. S. P - that throughout the story, Williams is played by a CGI chimpanzee. I thought this ended up really working in the films favour, as it allows for versions of the character to be extra vulnerable, cheeky and, in particular, scary as the film goes on. The CGI work is really well done too, maybe because there's always a sheen of otherworldliness to it anyway. If you're concern was that the monkey might infantilise the rest of the film, he does not. There is copious amounts of sex and drugs and perhaps the most prolific usage of "the C word" I've enjoyed in a film for a while.

Away from that it's what is perhaps a fairly common musical biopic, success leads to temptations, leads to problems and ultimately a redemption. It's a fairly clear theme of the film that Williams was going to live this sort of life of excess regardless of what he did for a living, it's just that the musical success gave it to him earlier and to a scale he couldn't have possibly imagined.

There are some excellent performances from humans in the film too, particularly Alison Steadman, as his doting grandmother and Steve Pemberton, as the father whose career, and early departure from the family home have a massive effect on his life.

I enjoyed it. I thought it was funny and well made and the choreography on the dance numbers are excellent.

An absolutely unhinged, emotional, and impactful cinematic achievement. The visual creativity shines through with the hardcore drug-induced sequences having a touch of a fantasy element while unapologetically exploring the mental health of Williams.

It offers something new and refreshing, giving audiences a different perspective on this whole biopic formula. It becomes very bleak and explicit, not afraid from showing the reality of fame, parental abandonment, depression, addiction and self-harm.

You're probably thinking it's just another biopic, why even bother, they all have the same cliches-but everything depicted actually happened to Williams, so you can't compare it to other films that make stuff up to enhance the story dramatically. He went through EVERYTHING. He even described the whole viewing experience as the equivalent of "going to therapy."

Although there are familiar tropes, it dives deeper into the thematic material more than you'd expect and has the balls to do what other biopics can't.

The biggest controversy surrounding the film was the CGI monkey, but its presence feels so seamlessly integrated that you hardly give it a second thought.

This is the first and last time we will ever get something like this so enjoy it while it lasts. Extremely experimental yet so captivating with many moments which hit you hard in many ways.

People online who don't know who Robbie Williams is are saying "oh, he did the Finding Nemo and Cars 2 credits songs and made a 5 second TikTok song, why does this random British musician who hasn't been popular since the 2000's need some biopic?". Every single comment section for a promotional video for this film includes a comment similar to that where I just get furious. America isn't the only country in the world. Honestly, most of us didn't know what Hamilton was until it went on Disney+.

Robbie Williams' lyrics have mentally pushed me through the last few months. He knows what people are going through and isn't afraid to acknowledge the silence in our lives. Specifically Come Undone, Feel, and Something Beautiful, are the ones that define me. These songs have been out forever, and I'm so glad that younger audiences, like myself, who go out to see this, can discover such material.

This ain't no normal biopic. Go see it and give it a chance. You will not regret it, trust me. Maybe you weren't expecting to see it, but surprises like going out to watch it can have such an impact, more than you know-just like it did on me. I wasn't keen on seeing this. Not at all. Little did I know, it changed me to become a better man.

A biopic that is entertaining, well-filmed, and directed but ultimately contains a narrative that is fairly generic on the rags-to-riches synopsis. I must admit that I was surprised by the existence of Better Man since I felt a musical about the career of Robbie Williams was not only unusual but strangely timed considering that Netflix released a four-part documentary only a year before that tells the same story, yet is more intriguing, insightful, and well.......better. Still, if you fancy a slightly different approach and enjoy the music from one of the UK's cheekiest chappies, I'm sure you will find something to enjoy here. "But what about the chimp?" I hear you ask. Well, it kind of works, I honestly just accepted the concept around 10 minutes in and I would be lying if I said it didn't have some kind of narrative or creative purpose. Still, the movie is waaaaay too long and a little on the self-indulgent side, but I did have plenty of moments where I sat back and tapped my toes at the musical numbers. Overall, I thought Better Man was good, the musical numbers are great and well-crafted, and the CGI is impressive, but at the end of the day, it's a story of a working-class kid who rose to the highest heights, that left me unsympathetic because he's a twaaa.............. troubled youth.

This movie is not what I was expecting. In a biopic of Robbie Williams, one would expect colour, theatrics, music and dancing and this movie doesn't disappoint on spectacle. But where lesser biopics take you on a journey through an artists hits, this movie takes you on a journey through Robbie Williams psyche as he tries to come to terms with getting everything he ever wanted but feeling like he's still not enough.

The movie moves at break-neck pace and there are very few moments where the movie stops to breathe, yet it's a credit to Michael Gracey and the team around him that the movie still packs powerful emotional punches. Jonno Davies is fantastic as Robbie, capturing his movements and idiosyncrasies perfectly. The team at Weta should also be commended for their incredible work transforming his performance in the a chimpanzee that symbolises how Robbie sees himself (a performing monkey, less evolved than those around him). Raechelle Banno plays Nicole Appleton (from All Saints) and puts in an emotional performance as Robbie's fiancé. Her dance performance and the montage of their meeting is truly one of the highlights of the film. Steve Pemberton is perfect as Robbie's father - the man who made him what he became in the worst way possible.

The film benefits greatly from being an independent film. It feels like the story Michael Gracey truly wanted to tell. The sex drugs and rock and roll are laid bare in all their grotesque glory. Robbie Williams himself should also be greatly commended for allowing the movie to lay all his flaws and mistakes at the feet of the audience. He does not come off well in large swathes of the movie and the movie is enhanced by his honesty with the audience. His singing and voice over work was also exceptional.

This film is bombastic and in your face for almost the entire run time, yet much like the man it's capturing, it has a sensitive soul just beneath all the bravado. It's the best film of the year, a visual and auditory feast. I hope it achieves the success it deserves.

I wouldn't count myself as a massive Robbie Williams fan, however I have enjoyed a lot of his songs. I went with 17 year old niece who was keen to see the film.

I was really pleasantly surprised. The first positive is I thought the cgi of the chimp really fit in well with the cinematography. It added something a bit more interesting to what could have been just another biopic.

Next up would be the reimagining of the songs that much are brilliant, from the beginning song now sung by the young boy through to Angels and the dance scene on the boat, but the real highlight was the dance routine in Regents Street to Rock DJ which I thought was tremendous.

The facial expressions captured on the chimp are great, the only thing that slightly turned me off, is obviously chimps have massive canines so when the character shouted it looked pretty aggressive and detracted from my connection with the character.

There are some reviews on here showing the film real hatred but when you read in to them it is more a hatred for Robbie himself.

I disagree with the views that this is him looking for sympathy, I think it is quite clear from the film that he blames no one but himself. Actually I suppose one of my criticisms would be he is almost too respectful of others. He goes pretty gentle on Gary, Liam and Guy, I am sure that it is actually more accurate as it is in the film and now he has had time to calm and think it through, however there was a bit of me that wanted it to be a bit more brutal, but clearly this is about a reflection on his problems and not passing blame.

One review makes a negative mention of his comments about the Spice Girls but he even acknowledges in the film that it was a stupid hurtful comment and that's why it is included.

Mostly this is about a Father Son relationship and the film covers it well.

The 2hrs + went quickly and if anything I felt that it could have covered more around the Take That story, also I found the scenes where he was performing and keeps seeing different versions of the chimps in the audience taunting him really got in the way of my enjoyment of the song scenes.

Overall though I really enjoyed the film and it was nice to see a calmer more reflective RW.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but went with an open mind. I'm not a massive RW fan but like his music and was intrigued by the premise of Robbie Williams being portrayed as an ape in a film about his life story - er, excuse me?

As a result, you know this won't be a conventional biopic but you soon get used to Robbie the ape and the story moves along in fairly chronological order telling you key moments in his life. The movie is visually spectacular in places and the special effects are very good. The telling of the story gives added poignancy to some of his song lyrics and the music is used to good effect throughout (I left the cinema with some of the songs stuck in my head).

You don't have to be a big Robbie Williams fan to enjoy the film but if you don't like his music, or him as a person, this film is probably unlikely to win you over. The only criticisms I'd make is the amount of swearing in a movie that's rated 15 - it seemed a bit unnecessary and the story lags in a few places. Other than that, it's surprisingly good.

It was good, and honestly would have been an 8 for me if I could get over the use of a monkey. I was not fond of it as others seem to be. I don't even understand it or don't find the reasonings for it. Seems like a cheap way to get people to watch it honestly. Is this a shot at some america publicity? Honestly I had no idea this was even based on a true story till after the film was finished. Wish I knew that before it started, unless I missed the true story message. I unfortunately did not have any clue who Robbie Williams, so i literally know nothing about this guy. I am curious to look more into him. The film was emotional and captured his demons really well. Sometimes almost over doing it. Yet it was good overall, I just wish they had used a real actor.

Saw at AMC for the movie screen mystery with Nicole. 1-6-2025.

Shocking, Emotional and Entertaining, just like RW.

I can't help but feel this was something special, others will probably follow, but this was the first of its kind. This movie took a big, scary, swing.

Although the story doesn't flow in order of actual events, it's great storytelling on-screen.

Having sat through both Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocket-man, one I loved, and 1 I loathed, I didn't know what to expect with RW:I dragged my daughter to the cinema, despite not being a fan of Robbie and she really enjoyed it, but something of this quality is hard to deny.

Love him or hate him, this movie is certainly an achievement to behold.

A confused narrative that's hard to follow. The self-loathing monkey view would've been better served as a reflection rather than a full on character, making it hard to connect with his story. No key moment in his life is executed fully leavy the final delivery scrappy at best. Not being a RW fan, I'm also unsure if the self-criticism during live performances was actually evident in real life i.e did he zone out and really freeze up, missing lines and cues? If not, what was the point of dramatising this in the movie? Definitely not a Rocket Man or Bohemian equivalent and disappointingly so, because the potential was there.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In the early 80's, Robert Williams was a cocksure but awkward young man living in Stoke On-Trent, not fitting in completely with the youngsters around him. A few years later, a talent scout visits the area, and he auditions to join a band called Take That, propelling him as a teenager on a wild rollercoaster ride of hedonism and excess. But fame and fortune cannot buy happiness, and while the good times roll, his personal demons threaten to tear him apart, until he figures out what really matters.

I've finally got around to seeing Better Man, Michael Gracey's follow up film to 2017's well received The Greatest Showman, with this very curious musical biopic of pop icon Robbie Williams, a man whose relevance to modern chart music followers might have been a very dicey box office gamble, especially when he is inexplicably depicted with the face of a snarling monkey!?? At the very least, it makes it a little difficult to take it seriously, even if the underlying sentiment of it is explained in the tagline.

The grittiness of Williams's raw, working class background is effectively conveyed with a suitably grainy camera lens at the beginning, though the sheer amount of profanity is quite staggering and excessive, not shy even of the c word (once unthinkable in a 15 certificate film!) This, along with William's bombastic presence, are enough to make him unlikeable, but Gracey makes it clear this is largely a front, with personal demons and insecurities that tear him apart inside even at the height of his zenith. Still, he was a bigger personality than an ultimately cheesy pop band could contain, and so it was ultimately a solo career where he would shine brightest.

By the end, it's become overlong, dragging on and wearing out its welcome a bit, but it's a wild, fun, full on ride throughout, with some blistering musical numbers (including a Piccadilly Circus rendition of Rock DJ, misplaced in Williams's TT years) and some effecting human drama thrown in to make it all gel right. But if you really hate Williams, it won't make you like him anymore. ****

I think the most obvious commentary surrounding this movie is, "who is Robbie Williams?" and "Why is he a monkey?"

If you don't know anything about Robbie Williams, it doesn't really matter - this story is much less about who he is and more about what he went through.

I honestly thought the first half was great, really funny and pretty interesting - the second half is where things got muddled for me. It got a bit redundant and suddenly it felt like I had been sitting in that theatre for 3 hours as I was just waiting for it to end. It's also kind of predictable.

I don't love it and I don't hate it because there were parts that I loved but also parts I hated. I don't understand the choice of the CGI monkey either, but if I had to guess, I think it was to make it seem somewhat more interesting as there are 101 biopics and it's been quite overdone.

It wasn't a bad movie but I also don't know if I could confidently recommend it to anyone either. It's a decent and watchable movie but yeah, that's about it.

There are way more better ways to execute an artist biopic movie than this one. I cannot take this movie seriously and I can't even take the positive 10/10 reviews seriously because they really seem AI generated, which further raises my suspicion on the rating of this movie.

I get the innovative idea of putting a CGI monkey as a main character and expecting the audience to develop a connection with it but in this case it seems it just doesn't work. (It was more laughable and most parts I couldn't really take seriously). The humour is really stale and way more sexually oriented than I expected. It was unfunny and in some parts just plain weird, considering the main character is a monkey.

This movie doesn't seem genuine and I see it as a way for Robbie Williams to further feed his ego. His hungry ego is clearly the main template for this movie. It is so selfish to the point where I don't believe some of these things ever happened and he just made it up to seem as the bigger man. The movie is solely focused on him being the victim and choosing extreme self-destructive behavior, which is shown way too often, despite getting everything he ever wanted. In some scenes this is just too obvious and it starts to get obnoxious really quickly, at moments even tiring considering that this movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Some scenes really got me scratching my head and I couldn't understand how you even come up with that and be satisfied with the outcome (Knebworth performance), and some scenes really seem added additionally to complete the plot.

The ending, although I found it okay, left some things to be desired and it felt a little bit worn out and boring.

The only reason I'm not giving this movie a 1* review is because of the animation team, which did a great job, especially in certain scene transitions.

As mentioned, the movie just serves as an ego boost for Robbie and lacks depth, which is the reason why I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone who wants to take it seriously.

This year, I've watched some pretty intense movies, but one that really hit me hard emotionally is about an ape? Well, it's actually about Robbie Williams, who's humorously called himself a "performing monkey" in interviews, saying he feels "a little less evolved" than others. The film dives into his rise to fame as the youngest and most audacious member of Take That, showcasing his wild antics and well-known struggles with drugs and partying.

"Better Man" explores the huge gap between how the public views the pop star and how he sees himself, highlighting how his inner battles often overshadow the success he fought so hard to achieve.

Directed by Michael Gracey, who also brought us "The Greatest Showman," this film features one of my all-time favorite songs: I DID IT MY WAY! You won't find another music biopic like "Better Man," no matter how much you know about Robbie. It's incredibly personal!

After experiencing this incredible film, Robbie Williams has truly earned the title of THE LEGEND, whether as an ape or as a human!

What a movie! I had high expectation due to Michael Gracey directing the movie (I loved the Greatest Showman) and I have to admit that I have always liked most of Robbie William's music so this was a match made in heaven in my head.

What I did not expect was how incredible the movie would turn out. Just calling it a biopic wouldn't do Better Man justice. Yes, it does feature the common components of the genre that we have seen a lot of in recent years (difficult youth, rise to fame, downfall with drugs and alcohol and then a somewhat pleasant ending) but within that it is often so surprising and so brutally honest that it still feels new. It's a drama, it's a musical, it's well-crafted story about one of Europe's most famous musicians.

Better Man triggers just the right buttons. The movie seeks to be sad and uncomfortable at times (a trustworthy portrayal of what drugs and the rush of fame and the spotlight must feel like) and really isn't too positive about Robbie although it of course ends on a bright note (pun intended) - some might deduct a point for that, I as a fan won't as I respect the level of self-criticism that is offered here. Also, I can't remember when I last saw a movie that left me with so much to process and so much unease, joy and sadness at that same time. Congratulations Michael Gracey!

The film goes hand in hand with its Soundtrack which is obviously brilliant. Young and old, you won't find many who don't know at least two or three of the songs and the orchestral reworks are powerful and chosen really well. Better Man is not full of Robbie Williams songs, it uses them wisely in the perfect moments. You know the songs but they also sound new, perfect mixture.

For me, the greatest wow-effect was the imagery, camerawork and special effects. The Greatest Showman was a benchmark alreay but here you can see what Gracey can do when he doesn't have a circus setting that already dictates the mood of a scene and most of the scenery. The images are astonishing, acting, dancing, tempo and locations even better than in TGS. I am so excited what Gracey does in the future and between all of the other huge Oscar contenders for camera and effects we most likely won't see Better Man but we 100% should.

Last but not least there is the monkey. I haven't felt the need to mention it earlier and that is a good sign. It fits the movie, it does not feel awkward and actually I like it. I'm sure it was added for attention purposes (and it was mentioned in interviews by Robbie Williams over the years) but it even goes beyond that, it gives the movie that final extra twist and artsyness that elevates this to a 10/10. Can't image? Go watch Better Man.

The thing that's understandably on everyone's lips about 'Better Man (2024)' is the fact that its star is portrayed as a CGI monkey for the duration of the film. This baffling decision is never acknowledged within the narrative, and the feature would by and large have been exactly the same if it didn't have a simian star (except for that fact that it wouldn't have a simian star, of course). It's entirely a marketing choice, one intended to peak people's curiosity and get them into the cinema; it doesn't really have a thematic underpinning, aside from perhaps one vague concept that isn't explored particularly well by the picture. One could argue that it reflects the wild, 'bad boy' mentality of its subject, as the feature is unable to exist without doing something provocative with the sole intention of getting attention for it. Still, I can't look at the piece too cynically. The fact that it would be fundamentally the same if it didn't star a primate is actually kind of a compliment, as this music biopic is really accomplished (especially considering its typically restrictive and overdone genre) and remains entertaining for its majority. That it doesn't use its monkeyness as a crutch goes to show that while it may use its gimmick to get you in the cinema, it doesn't need it to keep you there. In all fairness, the monkey element is done so seamlessly that you can't help but be impressed that the filmmakers were somehow able to make their jobs ten times harder - rather unnecessarily, I'll add - and still do those jobs to a truly high standard. The CGI is genuinely great and it's easy to forget that you're looking at a digital creation at times. A fun way to view the picture is as a reverse 'The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)' (or one of their other feature outings), but swap the ratio of non-human to human and replace Michael Caine with a monkey man. It's no less ridiculous for Michael Caine to cry opposite a Muppet than it is for, say, Steve Pemberton to get into it with what must have been a man in a silly skintight mocap suit.

It's not like they were too busy monkeying around with the CG budget to focus on what actually matters here, either. The two core tenants of a biopic ought to be character and spectacle, and this has both in spades. Instead of getting caught up in the typical 'information as art' escapades of features that focus on showing how thing x influenced song y or ticking off a bullet-point list of real-life events in a misguided attempt to entertain the viewer by essentially saying "and then this happened" over and over again, the film puts its focus squarely on its flawed central character and makes his development the centre of its world. Although he doesn't undergo a massive or especially varied arc, Robbie Williams has clear internal issues he needs to work through. These are treated almost as the story's antagonist, getting in the way of the lead actually being able to enjoy what he's doing. His journey is, in essence, one of self-acceptance and of unlearning the harmful idea that being famous is more important than all else. It's not as if it entirely avoids the pitfalls of its genre, and its plot is basically beat-for-beat what you'd expect it to be, but it reframes its generic elements in a way that takes the sting out of them - or, at the very least, executes them well enough that nobody really minds they're being fed a very basic meal. The lead character is played by two separate people, with Jonno Davies doing the on-set mocap and Robbie Williams himself doing the voice work and narration. Of course, the performance is further augmented by the multitude of visual effects artists who brought it to life, as is always the case with these types of characters. At any rate, Williams is surprisingly good. Not revelatory, by any measure, but good nonetheless. The other performers are also fairly strong (the Alison Steadman and the aforementioned Steve Pemberton are the highlights), even if their roles don't require all that much of them.

One of the film's greatest strengths is its stylish presentation. There are plenty of really enjoyable musical scenes and montages, each of which perfectly convey the desired mood by marrying one of Williams' signature songs with creative visuals and exciting editing. A highlight is a vibrant, bombastic oner that sees Take That take to the streets of London in jubilation and features complex choreography, quickfire costume changes, and scores of extras all dancing in unison to the joyous tune of 'Rock DJ'. Another standout sequence comes after a meet cute on a boat, as Robbie Williams and Nicole Appleton's song-and-dance to 'She's The One' is intercut with flashes of their whirlwind romance and is eventually juxtaposed across the various struggles the couple will come to face in a way that seems to mix 'The Greatest Showman (2017)' with 'Up (2009)'. Some of the more elliptical segments include a frenzied barrage of performance, drug misuse, self-doubt, and disassociation as the lead rockets his way up the solo charts and down to his lowest point yet (I forget which song accompanies this), and a poignant scene in which 'Angels' is used to mark the passing of an important character that's sure to get your tear ducts working. In all of these cases, the inventive imagery is striking and goes just as far as the music in terms of communicating where the character is in his overarching journey. There are even a few unexpected yet fun fantasy elements, such as an extended sequence set at the Knebworth Festival that you have to see to believe. These moments blur the line between fact and fiction, real and imagined, and this haziness is made even less concrete by the fact that the lead character is portrayed as a monkey (which obviously shades the whole affair in an unreal hue).

As I mentioned earlier, the feature does fall into some of the same routines we've seen time and time again with the music biopic. It also has a couple of flaws when it comes to its theming. For instance, some of its elements of redemption are a little confusing in that they apply to characters who haven't really earnt them. A lot of the affair feels a bit 'woe is me', even though it claims to want to avoid that (both figuratively and literally, via narration), and it sometimes struggles to balance the idea that someone as rich and famous as Williams can still be unhappy and ill-equipped to deal with their feelings with the reality that they are also afforded a lot of opportunities not given to other people who struggle with the same things. Tonally, the flick never seems quite sure if it wants to be sardonic or sincere. While this almost replicates the identity crisis the protagonist goes through as he tries to build a solo career and can't quite seem to land on a sound that truly represents who he is, it also leads to some moments that seem out of place and creates a clash between the movie's real-time events and the narration that frames it (the final line, in particular, seems out of keeping with the preceding attempt to get you fully on the often intolerable lead's side). The story is delivered a little clumsily in general, relying heavily on said narration and feeling a tad too long overall. It doesn't quite play with its more self-aware elements as much as it perhaps needs to in order to warrant their inclusion, either. Still, its pacing is mostly tight and the piece is never anything less than engaging. It remains enjoyable for its duration.

Ultimately, this is a surprisingly good effort. It makes you care about its core character, no matter how selfishly and foolishly he acts, and it rises above its gimmick to craft a visually compelling, sometimes touching and generally entertaining experience that's probably one of the better entries in its genre. If it had pushed the boundaries of that genre just a little more, it might have been something truly special. As it is, it's an enjoyable movie musical that does what it needs to and does it really well.