Better Man tells the story of Robbie Williams’ ascent, exploring the experiences that made him who he is, and the demons he battled both on and off the stage as he became a huge star on the back of hits like Angels. It’s a very original exercise in storytelling, much different from the usual music biopic.
Robbie Williams first became famous at 16 as a singer in the boy-band sensation Take That, but really hit stride as a solo artist. It happened fast, with 11 out of 12 of his studio albums charting No. 1 in the UK, and six of them among the top 100 biggest-selling albums there. His tours are instant sellouts and he made the Guinness Book for selling 1.6 million tickets for a tour in a day. He has long been a provocative, outsized global personality, except stateside. At least not yet.
Better Man is an Australian biographical musical drama film about the British singer Robbie Williams. Williams is set to be played by himself with Jonno Davies playing the younger version. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on December 25, 2024, by Paramount Pictures, with a wider release set for January 17, 2025.
About the Production
“Let me entertain you!” Robbie Williams famously sang. From boy band euphoria to solo stadium tours, the UK pop star has lived large, loud, and right on the edge. No mere music biopic could do his highs and lows justice. And so Michael Gracey hit on an audacious, dazzling approach. Gather round and witness the life of Robbie Williams unfold in a rather unorthodox way, to say the least.
Gracey draws on his substantial background in visual effects and signature images for pop videos, weaving those skills through propulsive storytelling. All of this elevated his blockbuster debut, The Greatest Showman; here it results in a truly spectacular film. It helps that Williams is one of the most kinetic and deeply self-aware pop stars on the planet.
Better Man begins with young Williams watching his father’s dreams of music stardom swirl around like dust in their cramped sitting room. He absorbs his father’s ambitions — and his crippling self-doubt — but the boy has talent.
Before long he has joined teen idols Take That and they stomp up the charts in a series of showstopping musical numbers. But money and fame bring more doubt, and Williams — played as an adult by actor Jonno Davies — learns the corrosive art of self-sabotage.
With its vibrant music, state-of-the-art visuals, and brilliant “casting” conceit, there may be no movie experience more singular, disarming, and downright entertaining this year than Better Man. And, as a portrait of a tortured, talented star, it’s surprisingly moving.
Content advisory: sexual content, drug use
Better Man (2025)
Directed by: Michael Gracey
Starring: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Damon Herriman, Anthony Hayes, Kate Mulvany, Frazer Hadfield, Jake Simmance, Liam Head, Jesse Hyde
Screenplay by: Michael Gracey, Oliver Cole, Simon Gleeson
Production Design by: Joel Chang
Cinematography by: Erik Wilson
Costume Design by: Cappi Ireland
Set Decoration by: Lisa Brennan
Art Direction by: Michael Bell, Jennifer A. Davis, Tony Drew
Music by: Batu Sener (score), Robbie Williams (songs)
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: January 17, 2025 (United States)
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