Summary
- Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man features a CGI chimpanzee as the lead, exploring his rocky road to stardom.
- The film received positive reviews but underperformed at the box office, due to Williams’ lack of recognition in the US.
- Take That is still relevant, with their music appearing in major films, hinting at a potential reunion with Robbie Williams onstage.
Robbie Williams’ new biopic Better Man is now available to watch digitally on Paramount+. The slightly odd and novel concept of creating a film biography with the leading man exchanged for a CGI chimpanzee failed to gain traction with US audiences.
Williams emerged as a major force in the music industry through the pop group, Take That, in the mid-1990s before leaving due to a combination of different factors. Mainly, his drug and alcohol abuse, musical differences with the band, and underlying tensions with his bandmates, particularly Gary Barlow. Much of this is explored throughout Better Man’s story.
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Jonahtan Zavaleta of the Rolling Stone reports that Better Man will be streaming on Paramount+ this week, starting March 11th. The film was directed by Michael Gracey, known for his hit, The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman. Jonno Davies plays the leading CGI monkey, and Adam Tucker provides the vocals.
Williams’ rocky road to stardom is key to the films’ narrative. The singer wanted to capture his own personal story by sharing with audiences how he views his own public image. It appears that the pop star sees himself as a bit of a monkey, out of place and an odd fit when compared to the rest of society and his professional cohort. In the trailer and film’s opening voiceover, Williams opens the movie with a clear thematic message:
“This is my story. But I’m not gonna tell it in an ordinary way because I don’t see myself how other see me.”
Williams isn’t wrong about the lack of ordinary, but the film surprisingly did very well with audiences and critics, earning an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its box office return, however, was disappointingly underwhelming. With a budget of $110 million, stretched to accommodate its CGI needs, the return was a measly total of $20.3 million. This box office blunder wasn’t unexpected. Inside the UK, Robbie Williams is a well-known name, but his career has never really stretched too far beyond the country’s local music scene. “Angels” and “Let Me Entertain You” are British hits, but Americans aren’t as familiar with his work, so the worldwide return was always going to suffer.
Take That is still incredibly relevant to pop culture. The Academy Award-winning Best Picture Anora opened with the band’s 2008 track “Greatest Day”. Take That performed the song at the BAFTAs in a surprise appearance that very few were expecting. Williams’ notoriety has only increased since leaving the band in 1995, and he has previously stated that he would be open to reuniting with the band onstage at some point in the future. Robbie Williams’ strange and uncanny life story may yet find a new audience in the US on the streaming service. Viewers will have to check it out for themselves this week.
Better Man is now streaming on Paramount+.