Let’s get the obvious joke out of the way:
Better Man is NOT a Pearl Jam biopic. It’s musically oriented, but it’s not that.
To most of America, the name Robbie Williams is not one that comes to mind when late ‘90s and early 2000s music is mentioned. Even the boy band “Take That” is probably not even in the Top Twenty of those in that category would name in this country. Everywhere else in the world is a different story.
Williams plays himself under the direction of Michael Gracey, who knows a bit about music on film himself with The Greatest Showman alongside working with people like P!nk and Natasha Bedingfield. However, this is a bit of a different type of story as Williams’ life story is played out with him being represented by a CGI ape. While this sounds a bit out of sort (which it kind of is), the reasoning here is explained in voiceover by Williams himself right off the bat, which is a smart move as it kept me from being too distracted by it for the rest of this film.
From his schoolboy days through joining Take That and more, this is a “no holds barred” look at his highest of highs AND his lowest of lows, and I truly respect that. Williams could have let this be a “puff piece” showing his story as him being the hero, but instead he makes the choice to show the portrait of an immensely talented kid who was just that getting thrust into the limelight and all of the perils that can come with it. His rebellious spirit gets him into his share of trouble both with others and with the demons he has to battle on multiple levels. Granted, I would be interested in the other points of view from his bandmates in Take That (including Gary Barlow, who was the only other member that had any success on their own that I am aware of, and even that was limited in this country), but the dynamics there are enough on display that I felt that I could figure out what they were thinking as the story progressed.
Even if you are unfamiliar with Williams or his work, Better Man is a great story that is told with reckless abandon about family relations, the need to be loved, and the perils of fame left to its own devices. It honestly made me more interested in the works of both his solo stuff (“Millennium” is a pretty cool song that I knew before this film) and that of Take That (who really only had a decent hit here with “Back For Good”). Even though it is getting its wide release in 2025, it could be seen as both a strong finish to 2024 (when it was released for award contention) and a strong beginning to the new year.
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