BETTER MAN – A Review by Jenn Rohm
Biopics of musicians have achieved lots of press on the love ‘em or hate ‘em scale, with little to no middle spoken of. Personally, my biggest hang-up is actors attempting to be someone known to the audience. If the look is a little off, the mannerisms are too robotic, or the voice is pitchy I lose the story and start focusing on what doesn’t work for me. Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams pushed until they got a green light to use CGI in the telling of Willams story in Better Man. This kept me focused on the story and added multiple levels of things I liked about the film.
In the movie, Williams provides his own voice with his ‘role’ being portrayed by Asmara Feik, Carter J. Murphy, Jonno Davies, and himself with the aforementioned CGI creating the look of a monkey. This is a result of his referencing himself as a “cheeky monkey, performing monkey, and unevolved man” in interviews he had with Gracey for over a year. The image is used as a representation of how Williams sees himself and this added a layer of vulnerability not often provided in films when the person is still alive. There are several similarities in the stories of celebrities of the 70’s to current and the sex, drugs, and rock n roll life. The facts are the facts and these details will repeat as long as they are true. One theory presented in this movie is that fame stunts growth, basically, the celebrities’ maturity is frozen in time at the age they became famous. In this specific case around the age of 15, the world opened wide with anything and everything becoming available. Williams takes ownership for what he has done and who he is, he doesn’t blame it on his home life, or other influences, they aren’t sugarcoating it nor are they cramming it down the viewer’s throat.
For those who fell in love with the stunning visuals in Greatest Showman and the storytelling in Rocket Man, you will not be disappointed. This is a current musical with all the bells, whistles, and double-decker buses. For those familiar with Willams music you will be pleased with the versions used in the film and the musical numbers created along with the re-creation of prior events. The vignettes created with the lyrics add to the music and understanding of “the price paid” for the songs being created.
I am looking forward to going again and seeing this on a big screen, and later owning it for my home collection.
Director: Michael Gracey
Cast: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton
MPAA Rating: Rated R for drug use, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity, and some violent content.
Selig Rating: 4 stars
Runtime: 2h 14m
Release Date: January 09, 2025
Genre(s): Biography, Fantasy, Musical
Movie Site: Better Man website
Trailer: Better Man official trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.
