So, here is the thing. You sit down to watch a biopic about one of the biggest pop stars in British history, and instead of a handsome actor with a chiseled jaw, you get a chimpanzee. A literal CGI ape. No, it’s not a fever dream, and no, you haven’t accidentally sat in on a Planet of the Apes prequel. This is Better Man, Michael Gracey’s wildly ambitious, $110 million swing at the life of Robbie Williams.
It’s weird. It’s jarring. Honestly, for the first ten minutes, your brain is probably screaming, "Why?"
But then, something happens. You stop seeing the fur and start seeing the man—or rather, the performer who never felt quite human to himself.
The "Performing Monkey" Metaphor Explained
Most music biopics are basically the same movie. You know the drill: humble beginnings, the big break, the drug-fueled downward spiral, and the triumphant comeback. We’ve seen it with Elton, we’ve seen it with Freddie. Better Man follows that exact path, but it swaps the human lead for a motion-capture chimp (played brilliantly by Jonno Davies).
The reason? Robbie Williams doesn't see himself as a legend. He sees himself as a "performing monkey."
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Director Michael Gracey—the guy who gave us The Greatest Showman—spent hours interviewing Robbie. Over and over, Robbie described his experience in the industry as being "dragged up on stage to perform." He felt unevolved, a creature there solely for the amusement of others while his internal world was falling apart. Instead of just putting that line in a script, Gracey decided to make it the entire visual language of the film.
It’s a gutsy move. It’s also the reason the movie became one of the most talked-about (and financially disastrous) experiments of the mid-2020s.
What Really Happened: Fact vs. Movie Magic
While the monkey is the headline, the story is grounded in the messy reality of Robbie’s life. However, since this is a "satirical musical," the film plays fast and loose with the timeline.
- The Nicole Appleton Romance: The movie shows them meeting on a boat during a low point for Robbie. In real life? They met at Top of the Pops in 1997. The film’s version is much more cinematic, but the emotional core—the engagement, the heartbreak, and the pregnancy that was terminated under industry pressure—is sadly very real.
- The Royal Albert Hall Finale: The film ends on a high note with Robbie singing "My Way" at the Royal Albert Hall in 2001, pulling his father on stage for a duet. In reality, while the concert happened, Robbie sang it alone. He did dedicate it to his mom, though.
- Knebworth vs. Reality: The film places the massive Knebworth shows before the Albert Hall show to fit the narrative of him "conquering" his demons. Truthfully, Knebworth happened in 2003, two years after the swing concert.
The film essentially ends in 2003. It ignores the last two decades of his life—the UFO hunting, the residency in Vegas, the four kids—to focus on the era where he was the most "monkey-like" in the eyes of the public.
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Why the Box Office Failed but Critics Stayed
By the time Better Man hit wide release in early 2025, the numbers were, frankly, brutal. We are talking about an "extinction-level event" at the box office. With a production budget of $110 million and another $25 million spent by Paramount just for the US rights, an opening weekend of roughly $1 million is a catastrophe.
Why did it bomb? A few things converged:
- The "Uncanny Valley" Factor: The marketing was hard. Seeing a CGI chimp in a tuxedo is a tough sell for a casual viewer who just wants to hear "Angels."
- The US Gap: In the UK, Robbie is a deity. In America, he’s "that guy who had that one song in the 90s." Without a massive US fan base, a $110 million budget is almost impossible to recoup.
- Release Timing: It opened against more traditional fare like A Complete Unknown (the Bob Dylan biopic). Audiences chose Timothée Chalamet over a digital ape.
Despite the financial flop, the film holds a high critical rating—88% on some platforms. Critics loved the audacity. They loved that it wasn't another "safe" Wikipedia entry of a movie.
The Soundtrack: Old Hits, New Soul
The music in Better Man isn't just a Greatest Hits collection. Robbie re-recorded almost everything. The versions in the film are more orchestral, more desperate.
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The standout is "Rock DJ." In the film, it’s not just a party track; it’s a chaotic, high-energy sequence that highlights his lack of control. Then there’s "Forbidden Road," a brand-new song Robbie wrote specifically for the movie to bridge the gap between his younger, wilder self and the man he is now.
Essential Tracks in the Film:
- "Angels" – The anthem that saved his career.
- "Feel" – Used to highlight his detachment from fame.
- "She’s the One" – The emotional anchor of the Nicole Appleton years.
- "My Way" – The defiant, Sinatra-esque closing.
Is It Worth a Watch?
If you hate biopics that feel like a checked-off list of dates, yes. If you can get past the initial "weirdness" of the monkey, you’ll find a story that is surprisingly vulnerable. It’s a movie about a man who didn't like himself very much, forced to be the most likable person in the world for a living.
The monkey doesn't ever turn back into a human. That’s the most important part. The movie argues that the "monkey"—the insecurity, the addiction, the need for validation—never truly goes away. You just learn to live with it.
Next Steps for the Better Man Experience:
- Watch the Documentary First: If the monkey is too much for you right now, go back to the 2023 Netflix documentary Robbie Williams. It provides the raw, non-CGI context for his mental health struggles that the movie dramatizes.
- Listen to the "Better Man" Version of "Rock DJ": Compare it to the 2000 original. You’ll notice the movie version is much more frantic, mirroring his mental state at the time.
- Check the Visual Effects: Look for the "making of" clips of Jonno Davies in the mo-cap suit. Seeing the human performance behind the chimp makes the film's emotional beats much easier to swallow.