“Better Man”: A Musical Biopic That Deserves More Credit

Directed by Micheal Gracey, Better Man has been ignored ever since its release. Here is why you should not underestimate this film.

Summary

The true story of British pop superstar Robbie Williams told from his perspective. A film that explores a meteoric rise to fame, and all the challenges and pains that implies dedicating a life to entertainment.

A Good Biopic…

I know what you are thinking: a musical about Robbie Williams where he is portrayed as a monkey? Who green lit that? If those were your thoughts, let me tell you I was of the same opinion. But as bizarre as it sounds, Better Man has brought new light to the dying biopic genre, transforming it in a fantastic experience.

The film gives the audience an intimate perspective of Robbie’s life and career, all his highs, but also his lowest lows. His father’s abandonment, his relationship with his mother and grandmother, the beginnings of his career in “Take That” and his attempts of dealing with fame and vices are explored.

But Better Man does not try to victimize its protagonist, or to justify his bad actions. Robbie goes through difficult things, but he also makes plenty of bad decisions, behaves inconsiderately, and ignores people who want the best for him.

What makes the project so good is that it focuses on Robbie not only as an artist, but as a person. It is possible to understand why he is the way he is, and empathize with him. Differing from most artists’ biopics, his addictions, and suffering are not used in an exploitative way, but rather as a proof of honesty.

The Monkey Works

Introducing the main character as a monkey ends up being a great asset, mostly because it makes the hard scenes (for example, Robbie’s indulging in various addictions) much easier to digest, without skipping them altogether. That prevented the film from falling into the same tendencies as, let’s say Elvis, which dealt with those topics more explicitly.

Maybe the main reason for this is that Robbie Williams himself was very involved in the production, and what we see in Better Man is what he chose to tell about his own story. To his credit, he is not afraid of setting himself in an unflattering light, and this gives the project a fitting air of honesty.

Ultimately, we must highlight that, again, unlike most biopics, it ends with some positivity. The entertainment industry is not always a great environment, and it can push you to make plenty of mistakes, but not every artist’s life must end in a tragedy. You can always pull yourself together, and be better.

… And a Good Musical.

Do you remember how dull all Joker 2 musical numbers were? That was because it had random songs placed during random moments of the film for no reason. But it seems director Micheal Gracey understands the genre and knows how to make the most of famous Robbie Williams songs.

The musical moments were the biggest surprise of the movie. Not only are they fun and well-directed, but they actually make the story move forward, a key aspect that musical films tend to miss these days. For example, most of Robbie’s relationship with Nicole Appleton is told through the song “He is the One”, showing us how they met and fell in love, and how everything started to fall apart between them. And another personal favorite of mine was “Rock DJ”, which involved a more elaborated choreography and a number of dancers on camera.

Songs belonging to other artists are also featured in the film, and I must say the musical selection in general is very clever. I have never been a Robbie Williams’ fan, but I started to listen to him more after watching this film.

A Box Office Bomb

Unfortunately for Better Man, the audience did not show up for this project. Theaters remained empty, barely reaching $20.000.000 at the worldwide box office, with an estimated budget of over $100.000.000.

In the U.S. the film was released on Christmas day, at the same time as other more competitive movies such as Sonic 3, Mufasa or Nosferatu. That was not the case everywhere (in my country Better Man hit theaters in late February of this year, a much less competitive date), but the domestic box office tends to be crucial for a project’s success.

People’s decreasing interest in biopics (and celebrities in general) must have played a part in the failure. Add the musical factor, another not so beloved genre lately, and you have the least attractive product in the market. It is all quite understandable: last year we had Emilia Perez and Joker 2. Everybody is tired, and as usual, good movies pay the price of the industry’s mediocrity.Despite the general lack of interest, I consider Better Man to be one of the best films released so far in late 2024/ early 2025. Hopefully, time will grant it the recognition it deserves.