Warning: This article contains spoilers for Better Man.Director Michael Gracey’s newest movie, Better Man, is a biopic of the musician Robbie Williams. The film begins with Williams’ boyhood and explores his experiences of joining a boy band, gaining wider stardom, working through addiction, and eventually emerging through the pains of his past. The cast of Better Man features Robbie Williams himself along with actors portraying the real people involved in his story. Understandably, Better Man‘s soundtrack also includes some of the best songs from Williams’ career, giving fans a chance to hear some of their favorites again.
However, Better Man has one big difference from other music biopics: Robbie Williams is portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee. While this decision may seem strange to audiences who have not yet seen the film, it actually works to portray the singer’s mindset and opinion of himself. Williams viewing himself as a chimpanzee allows the audience to understand that he has experienced a lot of self-doubt in his career, but Better Man’s ending leaves viewers on a more hopeful note as he reflects on his growth in the final scene.
Critics & Audiences Agree That Better Man Is Terrific
Better Man Has Received Positive Reviews
After premiering on December 25, 2024, Better Man quickly earned some of the highest critical and audience Rotten Tomatoes scores of the year, hitting 88% critical and 94% audience approval ratings. The film has ranked similarly highly among sites like Metacritic, IMDb, CinemaScore, and more, indicating that critics and audiences across the board loved the movie. Better Man was even nominated for Best Original Song at the 2025 Golden Globes.
Better Man‘s positive reviews highlight how creative the film is compared to many traditional music biopics, citing the use of the CGI chimp and effectiveness in conveying Williams’ story as strong points. Better Man refuses to shy away from some of the darker moments in Williams’ life and career, which critics and audiences found to be more truthful than many other movie representations of beloved singers. Beyond anything else, Williams’ decision to be a monkey is so surprisingly genius that many reviewers noted that they could not look away.
Better Man Has Struggled To Find An Audience Because Of Robbie Williams
Audiences Outside The UK Are Not Too Familiar With Williams’ Work
Despite Better Man‘s phenomenal reviews, the movie has struggled to gain wider attention from audiences, and this may be due to many audiences not knowing who Robbie Williams is. Take That, and by extension, Williams, became one of the most popular boy bands in the United Kingdom during the 1990s, with several of their songs peaking at number one on the U.K. charts and many more entering the top 10. However, this success failed to translate to American audiences, and the boy band never gained much recognition in the United States.
Because a majority of U.S. audiences may not be aware of Williams’ work, Better Man has unfortunately been met with the sentiment that it is not worth the money to see a movie about someone unfamiliar. On top of this, the film is surprisingly even underrated in Williams’ native U.K. Better Man earned $1.9 million during its opening weekend in the U.K., making its release there only slightly better than its $1.1 million opening in the U.S. (via The Numbers). Sadly, it seems that the film’s unusual approach may not have appealed to everyone.
Better Man’s Rejection By Audiences Is Wrong
Better Man’s Creativity Should Be More Rewarded
Though it seems understandable that audiences might initially be skeptical about a biopic that seems so different or focuses on someone they are not familiar with, viewers have been too quick to write off Better Man. One of the best things about films is their ability to encompᴀss so much creativity, just as Better Man does. Additionally, the movie format allows audiences to learn about something or someone new in a short time. Maybe someone in the audience could find they enjoy Williams’ music through hearing it in the film for the first time.
Even for audiences unfamiliar with Robbie Williams’ career, Better Man still tells a story worth hearing using a very exciting and creative presentation method.
Yet with Better Man being a box office bomb, despite the positive reviews from critics, studios will be discouraged from making movies like it in the future. This means that the industry will continue to lean more toward “safer” biopics about major figures, reducing the possibility of telling unusual stories in creative ways. While Better Man might not necessarily be the movie for everyone, it is certainly worth a watch for music fans. Even for audiences unfamiliar with Robbie Williams’ career, Better Man still tells a story worth hearing using a very exciting and creative presentation.
Source: The Numbers
