Please note that the site will be down for maintenance from 1 Aug - 8 Aug 2015. more

Better Man
更好的人

MOVIE

Opening Date

09 Jan 2025

Rating

M18 Drug Use & Coarse Language

Runtime

135 mins

Language

English with English & Chinese subtitles

Genre

Biography, Drama, Music

Director

Michael Gracey

Cast

Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Anthony Hayes

Synopsis

From the director of The Greatest Showman, Michael Gracey. Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Robbie’s perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

Reviews

By InCinemas 08 Jan 2025

A fantastical celebration of Williams’ life story through his discography.

read more

We’ve seen many a musical biography grace the silver screens over the years but none have been as out-of-this-world as Michael Gracey’s latest directorial effort, Better Man. This is (in a large part) thanks to its bold subject matter, British pop singer Robbie Williams.

There’s no denying Williams a colourful individual deserving of a feature film of his life story but its the interesting creative decision of presenting himself as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee that elevates his status – and this otherwise formulated genre – to greater heights. Performed by Jonno Davies using motion capture, and voiced by both Williams and Davies, the film also stars Steve Pemberton, Kate Mulvany, Alison Steadman, and Damon Herriman.

As most biographies go, Better Man tells the life story of Williams – growing up in Stoke-on-Trent in the 80s to finding success with Take That and his eventual solo career – touching on every significant individual that helped shape him into the man he is today. Borrowing from a discography that spans decades, Gracey integrates some of the singer’s greatest hits into musical moments that seamlessly carry the film along, effectively giving them a new purpose. They may defy logic at times but their reimagination is coherent. No, “Rock DJ” was not a Take That song but somehow it made sense seeing the rest of Williams’ former bandmates dance and sing along to the magnetic number that served as a pivotal sequence of the boyband’s rise to stardom.

Most of the musical sequences are so exquisitely dazzling but none more so than the romantic ballad “She’s The One”, reinvented as a duet with Nicole Appleton of pop group All Saints fame. If it wasn’t obvious this film is directed by the same man behind The Greatest Showman before, it is with this exact moment the director’s signature touch couldn’t be more apparent.

Otherworldly spectacles aside, the true succeeding factor of this film is Williams’ unabashed self-deprecation that allowed the world to see him as he sees himself – a performance monkey that feels less evolved than other people. The film never downplays his arrogance or behaviours that caused his downfalls, making its story progression of the singer's eventual turn into a better man all the more satisfying.

On the surface, Better Man feels like an extravagant escapism of a pop star’s tumultous life but the strong humanity beneath the CG animation will pull you back to reality. Tough game for future biographies to wow us now that we’ve seen celebrities reimagined as Legos and anthropomorphic animals.
read less

Get Showtimes

Better Man 更 好 的 人