The Man, the musician, and the monkey: A review of “Better Man”
Editor’s Note: The Views expressed in this article are those of the author.
I saw the “Better Man” trailer months ago. I had so many questions and every single one of them came back to, “why is this man a monkey?” I’m only vaguely familiar with Robbie Williams as a British musician and that’s where my knowledge of him ended. This man had no plays in America, so a whole biopic about him releasing in the U.S. made zero sense to me. With this knowledge (or lack of), I had no high expectations for the movie. So imagine my surprise when this was not only watchable but good.
“Better Man” is a biopic/musical about British pop icon Robbie Williams. The movie takes the audience through his journey from the chart-topping boy band Take That, to his solo career as he sees himself, a monkey. The film gives a look a the man behind the fame, a pop star on a constant emotional rollercoaster whilst simultaneously trying to make a name for himself in the cutthroat entertainment industry.
Towards the beginning of the film, the director makes a point to emphasize how Williams was a loner. When everyone is hanging out in their cliques, Williams is hyperfocused on pursuing his dream to be a musician. He connects most with music. He has a close relationship with his father as they bond over singers like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. There’s a scene with his dad that beautifully comes full circle in the final act that brings this point home.
Regardless, I was sure the CGI monkey was going to throw me off constantly during the movie. Everyone else is human so you would think a monkey would stick out like a sore thumb. However, it didn’t. I think for maybe the first five to ten minutes I was still a little confused but over time, I forgot it was a monkey.
As for the musical numbers, this is directed by Michael Gracey. He’s the same director that did “The Greatest Showman” in 2017 and “Rocketman” in 2019. Gracey emphasizes the best moments of those films which were the grandiose sequences and well-choreographed dances. There is a scene where Williams becomes well-known as a boyband member and it has a dazzling musical number attached to it.
Most biopics focus on the remarkable experience a figure had gone through, especially musicians. This film on the other hand highlights a majority of the horrendous actions taken by Williams and how he is slowly destroying himself the more famous he gets. By the time you get toward the end, you kind of hate Williams. Not necessarily because he is intolerable and annoying, but you hate what he’s become.
Toward the end there is a scene that is awesome to see play out. It’s a heavy moment where Williams eventually confronts his demons and the positive change within himself finally arrives.
For somebody who was mostly unfamiliar with his music, I came away from this a fan of Robbie Williams, the person.