Better Man introduces us to Williams’ natural performer through his signature song, “Let Me Entertain You” (“I came out of the womb in the hands of jazz,” It was very painful for my mother,” Williams’ voiceover jokes.) There’s clearly something different about young Robert, but the CGI is so mesmerizingly expressive that it feels entirely plausible that this wide-eyed chimpanzee boy is immersed in the human world. It will be done. He and his father (Steve Pemberton) growl along to Sinatra and listen to the story. from his grandma (a wonderfully cuddly Alison Steadman); Williams’ drive for stardom is clear, but so is his deep-seated self-doubt and fear of being “nobody.”
In the 1990s, important changes occurred. At 16, Williams was the youngest member of Take That. Take That is a Manchester pop quintet formed by manager Nigel Martin-Smith following the huge success of the popular American group New Kids on the Block. Take It wasn’t a huge hit overnight. The film depicts their turbulent beginnings (Williams’ voiceover states that each member earned £180 in their first 18 months) – but the band… With Williams’ lovable sassy personality dominating the charts and the public’s teenage dreams, their breakthrough hit engrafted their way to becoming a true phenomenon.
Betterman offers choreographed set pieces that blend British pop culture details with Busby Berkeley-style opulence. The euphoric group performance of Williams’ song “Rock DJ” captures how pop stardom can feel superhuman. But we are quickly reminded of Williams’ instability through his dizzying descent into self-destruction, depression, and departure from Take That. Every time he performs on stage, a demon doppelganger can be seen glaring back at him in the crowd. That fear has grown stronger even as he has established a record-breaking solo career.
Williams has always been candid about his shortcomings and struggles with addiction and excess. It’s as if he can’t stop playing with his scars, whether through song lyrics or soundbites or through documentaries such as the tour film Nobody Someday (2002) and the Netflix series (2023), as well as his official Several books have also been published by biographer Chris Heath. But there’s something particularly visceral about the dramatization of “Better Man.” Williams’ ape-like figure enhances the glamorous strangeness of his music industry experience, while also stripping away the brutality of the darkest parts of his story. The film doesn’t take the glib “jukebox musical” approach of shoehorning hit songs into the story. Instead, the Better Man soundtrack features some of Robbie’s signature songs, including his childhood version of “Feel,” reinterpreted as a fall in love duet with fellow pop star Nicole Appleton. “She’s the One”) is recontextualized. I feel enlightened. Robbie has always been an extravagant showman, but the relatability, whether it’s his yearning for love and acceptance or his sharp self-criticism, seems surprisingly amplified here.
