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Biographical pictures, or biopics, have existed since the dawn of cinema; the earliest recorded films were of real people performing everyday tasks. Today, studios jump at the chance to make films about real people, musicians, in particular, because it allows them to tap into an existing fanbase rather than build one from scratch. As many groan at the thought of biopics due to their oversaturation within modern cinema, a refreshing light shines in the dark — a pop star portrayed entirely by a CGI monkey.
Better Man (2025, directed by Michael Gracey)1 tells the unexpected and deeply personal story of a pop star who remained largely unknown to American audiences — until now. The film tells the rise, fall, and eventual redemption of British pop star Robbie Williams, portrayed by Jonno Davies via motion capture. Director Michael Gracey, having worked with Williams closely on the development of the film, understands the lack of knowledge that many Americans had of Williams.
Gracey crafts an unexpectedly entertaining musical film, complete with dazzling visuals and the surreal choice to portray Williams at times as a primate. Yet beneath the spectacle, Better Man delves deeply into the singer’s struggles with anxiety, depression, and addiction — taking bold narrative liberties to do so. By blending stylized, imaginative visuals with an unflinching look at Williams’s inner turmoil, the film breaks away from the typical musician biopic formula and dares to tell a more vulnerable, unconventional story.
While its unconventional subject and storytelling have polarized audiences — especially in the U.S. — its growing cult following signals a shift in how audiences engage with stories of fame and mental health.
Robbie Williams — The Pop Icon Behind The Camera
Born in 1974 in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Robbie Williams mainly rose to fame in the United Kingdom as the youngest member of the 1990s boy band Take That, joining the band at just sixteen years old.2 After leaving the band, Williams developed an impressive solo career, having seven No. 1 singles and thirteen No. 1 studio albums in the UK.
Williams is known for his honest public image, having openly discussed his struggles with mental health and depression.3 Unlike many 2000s pop stars whose public images were meticulously managed by PR teams, Williams took control of his own narrative — setting him apart from the rest.
Gracey initially recorded Williams telling stories about his life, which inspired him to make a film surrounding it. He discusses these recordings in an interview with the UK publication FILMHOUNDS:
“I would go over to his house, he has a recording studio and we would just sit there and chat. Sort of like how you and I are now, and I would just ask him questions about his life. Sometimes he would finish the story, sometimes he’d go off on a tangent. But there were these very free-flowing conversations that formed the basis of the first draft of the script.”
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Rather than gathering general biographical information about the musician’s life and translating it into film, Gracey’s personal relationship with Williams creates a far more realistic portrayal of the musician. Gracey differs from other popular biopic films, particularly Bohemian Rhapsody5 (2018; Bryan Singer), by accurately portraying Williams’ life on his terms while using his discography to propel the story.
This stands in contrast to the Bohemian Rhapsody, which faced criticism for its handling of Freddie Mercury’s personal life. Better Man further sets itself apart from other modern biopics by exploring creative and engaging visuals.
The Surreal Visuals Of Better Man (2025) — A Different Kind Of Biopic
Better Man uses the cinematic medium to its fullest, which amplifies the themes and scale of the film. Cinematographer Erik Wilson treats the visuals of the film almost like a character itself, which changes and expands over the course of the film. Whether they explore Williams’s time in Take That or his own experiences with mental health, the musical numbers are massive.
The biggest selling point for the biopic is the sequence featuring the song “Rock DJ,” which is used when Take That finally gets signed to a major record label. The sequence is edited to appear as if it was recorded in one take, foreshadowing the exciting life Robbie and the boys were now destined for.
The sequence was shot on location on Regent Street in London, a high-traffic shopping area. In the same FILMHOUNDS article, Gracey discusses the problems that arose when trying to plan and shoot the sequence:
“It was a year and a half of planning. Shutting off Regent Street for four nights, like no other production has done that.”
The sequence ended up nearly being completely cut from the film following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ten days of mourning that followed. Gracey expressed that the sequence was necessary for the film, and without it, it certainly would have been less memorable.
The “Rock DJ” number in Better Man is easily the most lighthearted of the film, exhibiting the youth and hope in Williams’ eyes as he is given a ticket to the good life of fame and fortune. The sequence bursts with the bright colors of 1990s London, framed by warm lights glowing against the night sky — a visual cue for the wide-eyed innocence.
Fame is within their reach and Williams could not be prouder. It is the one moment in the film where Williams is truly happy without the aid of alcohol or drugs. Other sequences in the film have a dreamlike quality, such as Robbie being pulled underwater by disappointed fans after having left Take That.
Another accompanying song, “She’s the One,” where he meets former fiancée, Nicole Appleton of All Saints (played by Raechelle Banno), is rich with gold tones and sweeping shots of the two dancing on a yacht. The stunning visual quality of these scenes and the film as a whole is a testament to the creatives behind the camera working to reinvigorate the biopic genre.
The attention to detail and emotional weight of these visuals break the expectations moviegoers have about musician biopics, which should have been enough to draw audiences into the film. The unique visual identity of the film speaks not only to the themes of the film but also attests to the hard work of Wilson and the talented visual effects artists and lighting team.
Along with the stunning visual qualities, many sequences in the film approach Williams’s mental state and allow the audience a look at his problems with mental health and addiction.
Mental Health & Self-Worth in Better Man (Yes, Including The Monkey)
Better Man breaks the mold of musician biopics by portraying Williams’s addiction and mental health struggles in a raw, unfiltered way. The most evident example in the film comes from the portrayal of Williams as a monkey, which was accomplished by the team at Wētā FX.6 The impressive work by Wētā even earned the film a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 97th Academy Awards.
The inclusion of the monkey in place of a well-known actor playing Williams, or Williams himself taking on the role, comes from a place of feeling less-evolved or cast out by the people in his life, which is described by Williams in the film via voiceover. In a January interview with AP News, Williams jokes:
“My MO has been cheeky. What’s more cheeky than a cheeky monkey? I’ve been a cheeky monkey all my life. There’s no more cheekier monkey than the coke-snorting, sex-addict monkey that we find in the movie.”7
Gracey further discusses the inclusion of the monkey in the FILMHOUNDS interview as simply the way he sees himself. The performer doing the motion capture for Robbie is actor Jonno Davies, who does a stellar job embodying Williams’ insecurities, fears, and issues with drug use. These insecurities Williams faces come to a head during the film’s most unconventional sequence at Knebworth.
“Let Me Entertain You” — The Bizarre Yet Important Knebworth Sequence In Better Man (2025)
Aside from the common depictions of drug use seen in other musician biopics, Better Man includes a narrative motif of Williams seeing older versions of himself in the crowd as he performs. This motif hammers home the anxiety and self-worth issues surrounding Williams’s fame. This is an incredibly powerful plot device that comes to a head as he performs at Knebworth for the first time.
The Knebworth sequence begins as most other climactic concert sequences in musician biopics do, specifically the Live Aid sequence in Bohemian Rhapsody. During the sequence, older versions of Williams leading up to this moment begin to appear in the crowd, brandishing weapons and belittling him.
The entire crowd is soon filled with different versions of Williams instead of the fans that supposedly adore him. In an unexpected turn of events, Williams jumps into the crowd and begins killing these different versions of him in a fictional fight sequence, even confronting a younger version of himself — a symbolic confrontation with his inner child and unresolved trauma.
Better Man excels where many biopics do not because of the Knebworth sequence and how the film builds up to that point. Dealing with anxiety and self-worth can, in fact, feel like one is battling with oneself and wondering what one would think of where they are now.
Gracey exploring Williams’s issues with anxiety and self-worth in Better Man in this way gives the audience an emotional punch while maintaining their attention through an impressive yet bizarre fight sequence.
The interplay between visuals and themes gives Better Man an experimental edge while delivering emotional depth. The depiction of Williams as a monkey speaks to the unique nature of the film’s subject while exploring the feeling of being cast-out. With its heavy depictions of mental health and self-worth through narrative motifs, the film should have done far better at the box office than it did.
Box Office Misfire Or Future Cult Classic?
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Better Man has an impressive 88% Critic score and a 90% Audience score. Audiences do find the film impressive and a thrilling change of pace to the musician biopic genre. The financial numbers are the opposite, making only $2 million in the United States and $21 million in total against a $100 million budget.
This raises the question: if the film was so critically successful with both audiences and critics, why was the film such a flop? Better Man‘s wide US release was on January 10, 2025. January is often considered a “dump month” for studios looking to push out their post-awards season and holiday releases. A 2022 Collider article describes that this month contains films that would not have a chance in theaters anywhere else in the year.8
The exhaustion after massive holiday releases and the public’s boredom with musician biopics likely stifled the film’s chances of being successful. Despite its commercial failure, the film has found critical success, with Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times calling the film “fabulously entertaining.” Many other major film publications praised the film for this reason.
The film has also found somewhat of a cult following, with critics and general audiences on X (formerly Twitter) praising the film’s creativity and the unfiltered nature of its subject. No matter how bad its box office numbers are, this film has found an audience that enjoys its inventive visual style and bizarre gimmick despite its overdone genre. With this cultural impact in mind, it is evident that the film and Williams will remain in conversation in the US and beyond.
A Bold Take On A Well-Known Genre
Better Man is the most surprising film of the year due to its bold approach to the musician biopic as well as its incredible visual style. Gracey and Williams explore the darkest depiction of the pop star without preaching to the audience or appearing disingenuous.
The visual style sets the film apart from other biopics by emphasizing creativity and spontaneity in its gimmick and its general style. While not financially successful, the film has found critical success and has brought Williams into mainstream conversation in the US. Williams is unfiltered as he explains to the audience that he is not necessarily a good person, but he is always trying to become a better man.
Footnotes
- Gracey, Michael, director. Better Man, Paramount Pictures, 2025. ↩︎
- “Robbie Williams.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025. ↩︎
- Barnes, Anthony. “Robbie’s red-top revenge. Or how a star got his own back on the paparazzi.” The Independent, 29 Aug. 2004. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025. ↩︎
- Klein, Paul. “‘I never wanted to address the ape’ — Director Michael Gracey talks Better Man.” FILMHOUNDS, Dec. 2024. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025. ↩︎
- Singer, Bryan, director. Bohemian Rhapsody. 20th Century Fox, 2018. ↩︎
- “Better Man.” Wētā FX, Accessed 21 Mar. 2025. ↩︎
- Coyle, Jake. “Robbie Williams: ‘I’ve been a cheeky monkey all my life.’” AP News, 7 Jan. 2025. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025. ↩︎
- Laman, Lisa. “How January Became a “dump month” for Cinema – and Why That’s Changing.” Collider, 20 Jan. 2022. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025. ↩︎