Better Man (2024)

Better Man

• I had absolutely no idea who Robbie Williams is, at least not until a few months ago when I started seeing the news about this film. All I know is that he’s some kind of singer-songwriter, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter one bit. I went into the film completely blind to his history and overall character, and by the end, I feel like I grew up with him. So if you’re debating on seeing this, even if you don’t know who he is, go see it anyways. I saw just because of all the positive buzz, and I’m so glad I did. The story follows him from when he’s young to the peak of his career, which was very entertaining, yet also sad and emotional. I think the best possible way to tell the story was making him a CGI monkey. I was extremely skeptical at first, but it works in every possible way. It works because you see Robbie the way he sees himself, which is an outcast who is different from everyone else. If he was played by a human, it would’ve been just your average biopic. But as a monkey, you learn to both love and hate a diverse and unique character you normally wouldn’t get. Whoever made that decision, well done! All the characters were well represented, and obviously Robbie was the dude. The mo-cap was awesome and extremely well done, much like the recent Planet of the Apes films. The soundtrack was phenomenal, using songs from Robbie’s past, as well as a beautiful original score. The whole film reminded me a lot of ‘Elvis’, but with a monkey instead. Overall, it’s fantastically made, and one of the best musicals in the last five years. I’m not joking at all. I loved it, especially the very last scene. It broke me to tears. Anyways, I’d recommend this to all drama/musical fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!