Better Man (2024)

IMDb plot summary: A singular profile of pop superstar Robbie Williams, chronicling his meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence.

Directed by Michael Gracey. Stars Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, and Steve Pemberton.

Better Man tells the story of British pop star Robbie Williams through a creative stylistic choice: Williams is portrayed as a monkey throughout, a gimmick that immediately grabs attention and occasionally goes a little bit deeper. I went in knowing almost nothing about Williams himself, but I’d heard good things about the film and was intrigued enough to try it. The musical numbers are stunningly shot and visually striking, with a wonderful energy -- a pleasant surprise, given how deeply underwhelming I found The Greatest Showman, by the same director. While those musical numbers are strong, the script is less so. It never quite pins down who Williams is supposed to be, jumping back and forth between making him a sympathetic victim of fame and making him overtly unpleasant, and while clearly they intend for both to be present in the character, the two don't reconcile believably for me most of the time. But the plot is also pretty thin, and the movie is definitely trying to make space for the musical numbers to take center stage, as they should. That creativity makes Better Man worth watching, even if it didn’t blow me away the way I hoped.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Better Man (2024)

📊 Ranked #1133/4077 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 74

beat The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (#2145 → #2150)

lost to The Shape of Water (#1016 → #993)

beat Skyfall (#1524 → #1731)

beat The Nice Guys (#1270 → #1274)

lost to Leaving Las Vegas (#1143 → #1141)

beat Hoodwinked! (#1205 → #1225)

beat The Song of Lunch (#1173 → #1359)

beat Fargo (#1158 → #1163)

lost to Blink Twice (#1150 → #1146)

lost to Lilo & Stitch (#1154 → #1120)

beat A Chorus Line (#1156 → #1230)

beat Kiss Me, Stupid (#1155 → #1159)