Grossing just $11 million despite its $110 million budget (according to Mojo), Michael Gracey’s film Better Man is, on paper, one of the biggest flops of 2024. Scathingly dubbed “the monkey movie” on TikTok and Instagram for the decision to use a CGI chimpanzee as the protagonist, this biopic was, arguably, doomed. We expected nothing but a pretentiously self-centered account of the life of British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams.
Partly owing to Williams’ unknown status in the USA, Gracey (director of The Greatest Showman) had a formidable task in making this film a box office hit. Despite this, this film effectively portrays the trials and tribulations of the “Angels” singer, tackling his struggles with addiction, ADHD, family, and feeling different. But what makes this biopic different to all the other celebrity caricatures Hollywood has seen recently? No – it’s not just that Alison Steadman, beloved Pam from Gavin and Stacey, plays Williams’ Nan…
The last five years has seen an influx of additions to the biopic genre, specifically those about musicians. Recent biopic flops have tainted the genre. Such flops have been Kasi Lemmons’ Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and Sam Taylor-Johnson’s film Back to Black. The latter was criticised by Vox magazine for being “shockingly sanitized”, as it “failed to capture just how ugly and violent” the life of Amy Winehouse was.
This recent trend of biographical media about musicians therefore places Better Man amongst a series of similarly written, poorly executed scripts. Such films hardly hold up against early biopics, such as Eminem’s 2002 movie 8 Mile, which transformed the biographical film genre after opening at number 1 in the US and grossing $242.9 million worldwide, according to IMDB. So did poor old Robbie ever really have a chance? Although Williams’ biopic’s gross income pales in comparison to Eminem’s, Gracey’s film takes more risks than just portraying a celebrity caricature – it makes us question what a biopic should look like, and how a real person can be translated into a blockbuster.
Williams has been criticised widely in the US simply for not being famous enough, leaving many wondering whether the film is even worth watching. One X user said: “I expected this film to flop simply because they were hyping up Robbie Williams as a bigger pop star than he actually is. Nobody outside the UK knows who he is on a household basis.” However, other social media users have praised the film for its ability to pass Williams’ music onto a new generation. His status as a supposed unknown makes us wonder what should come first: the music or the man?
Reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes said that Better Man was “much more rewarding and entertaining than I expected,” while The Queer Review described it as “devastating, healing, and uplifting.” After having watched this film at my local Odeon, I agree with these comments. The film does not glorify the singer, but instead adds new depth to the much loved British classics, making them more than just ”dad songs.”
Then there’s also the question of the CGI monkey which, despite the Reddit thread entitled “No one Cares That the Chimpanzee is Singing,” has been praised for its metaphorical significance. Williams’ character describes feeling “less evolved” than everyone else in the movie, an important line which makes the whole film suddenly make sense. Reviews at AllThatDazzles have praised the special effects involved here, due to their combination of the “Let Me Entertain You” singer’s facial features with those of the chimp. This combination constantly reminds the audience both of the singer’s personal vulnerability and of his performance persona.
Of course, this does also make for some comedic moments, as you begin to wonder why you’ve paid £15.99 to watch a chimpanzee dance to Take That’s “Relight my Fire” – but it’s the film’s self-awareness of this absurdity that makes it something really special. So, forget all about the horror that was Netflix’s “Blonde,” or the 2016 flop “Nina,” and go watch “Better Man” with optimism – you won’t regret it!