Better Man (2024)

Directed by

Michael Gracey

Genre

biographical film, musical film, comedy drama

Country

Australia, United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States

Runtime

2h 15m

Rated

R

Rating

7.6 of 10 from 872 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A biographical musical about British pop star Robbie Williams. It tells his life story using a chimpanzee as his avatar to explore his rise to fame and personal struggles.

upbeatintrospectivesurrealmusicalemotionalwryfast-pacedfantastical

What happens

Better Man is a 2024 biographical jukebox musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Gracey, Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. It is based on the life of the English singer Robbie Williams and stars Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton and Alison Steadman, and is a co-production between Australia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Development on Better Man began in February 2021, after Gracey was announced as director and co-writer alongside Gleeson and Cole. Williams is portrayed as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee, performed by Davies using motion capture, and co-voiced by Williams: this was due to Williams' perception of himself as a "performing monkey" and Gracey's vision of the film as a "satirical musical". No character comments on his appearance. Williams also re-recorded several songs from his discography for the film. Principal photography began in May 2022 and lasted until June 2023, with filming locations including Docklands Studios in Melbourne, Regent Street and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Better Man premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 30 August 2024 and was theatrically released in the United States on 25 December, by Paramount Pictures, and in the United Kingdom and Australia a day later, respectively by Entertainment Film Distributors and Roadshow Films. It grossed $22.5 million worldwide, becoming a box-office bomb, but received positive reviews. Better Man won nine AACTA Awards, including for Best Film, and was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, BAFTA Film Awards and Visual Effects Society Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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