Trigger Warning: Better Man features several sequences involving flashing lights that may be troubling to photosensitive viewers and the narrative explores depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation that may be hard for some viewers.
You may not be immediately familiar with the name Robbie Williams, yet you’ve likely danced in some form to singer/songwriter’s hits such as “Rock DJ,” “She’s the One,” and “Angels.” And that’s not including any of the tracks from his time with the group Take That, including “Back for Good.” The musical biopic Better Man, from director/co-writer Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), aims to change this by offering a surprisingly raw and deceptively honest look at the performer’s life which centers Williams in a rather unique way: presenting him entirely as a monkey. At first, this might seem like a gimmick, a curio meant to inspire those seeking a tabloid circus to find their star, but, in reality, it’s a psychological tool meant to depict the way that Robbie sees himself, thereby making Better Man more than a look at the rise of a star and an exploration of why someone desires it. After a premiere at TIFF 2024, a limited release in December, and a wider release in January, Gracey’s Better Man arrives on home video with over 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes materials which lift the veil on this unconventional biopic.
Carter J. Murphy as Young Robbie in Paramount Pictures’ BETTER MAN. ©2025 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.
As a young boy, Robert Williams (Carter J. Murphy) felt like he was meant to be more than the runt he was in the neighborhood: last picked, last desired. The few times he felt right, it was singing along with his father, Peter (Steve Pemberton), as they watched Frank Sinatra on television, whether that was because he was sharing something with his father or because he was feeling, for even the briefest moment, that he could be seen as a person. It only makes sense, then, that, in the face of his father abandoning him, his mother, Janet (Kate Mulvany), and gran, Betty (Alison Steadman), Robert would grow up pursuing a career as a singer as though fame would be the answer. But between joining Take That and then striking out on his own, Robert, known on the stage as Robbie, would find the illusion of love via fame is ephemeral at best and the one thing keeping him from true acceptance is himself.
As a first-time review for EoM, normally coverage would be spoiler-free, but as this is (a) a biography narrative with most details being public, (b) a home release, and (c) a Paramount Presents label edition, specific details of the narrative may be discussed in order to provide as accurate an exploration as possible.
Since this is a Paramount Presents title, we’ll begin there.
L-R: Actor Raechelle Banno and director/co-writer Michael Gracey on the set of Paramount Pictures’ BETTER MAN. ©2025 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.
Using the review copy provided by Paramount Pictures, what this means is that the packaging is different from typical Paramount releases. Rather than a typical paper slipcover (as has become typical with new releases), Better Man’s includes a mini-foldout poster on the front so that you can either look at the standard front image depicting Williams (shown from the back and at a distance) on a stage from the end of the film or you can open the cover and see the Rolling Stone magazine-inspired poster that was used to promote the film. The back of the slip includes no second option, just providing the summary, special feature information, usual stills, and home release information. With the slip removed, the next difference is a clear plastic case instead of the usual blue. This clear case is more than just to differentiate between a standard Paramount release and a Paramount Presents title, it allows the liner to include film art that is viewable through the clear plastic, especially when the discs are removed. In this case, the back of the front liner includes three small stills on the far left and far right (top-bottom) with the rest of the viewable space taken up by a still from the “Rock DJ” sequence shot on Regent Street. The discs themselves, a Blu-ray and 4K UHD, are also given small differences to help separate themselves beyond their respective playability. Both discs have their art cut in half, with the Blu-ray featuring Robbie singing with Peter in the conclusion of the film on top and the bottom half being black text on white and the 4K UHD featuring Robbie singing solo from the same sequence and the bottom being white text on black. Both discs feature the film and both special features. On the whole, the presentation falls in line with prior Paramount Presents label so it’s at least consistent, but it’s nothing that makes one convinced of the boutique atmosphere sought.
Center: Jonno Davies as Robbie WIlliams in Paramount Pictures’ BETTER MAN. ©2025 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.
The official press release indicates that there is also a DVD option and a quick search online implies that the Paramount Presents 4K UHD Blu-ray combo is an Amazon exclusive. The only mention to this, however, is when checking Amazon and not on the press release, so it’s possible that this version will also be accessible in-stores. Which version and on which format, however, is hard to say.
What can be stated clearly is that the special features, though few, are comprehensive. The first, “Let Me Entertain You: The Making of Better Mani,” is over 30 minutes and covers a wide-swath of material. It first opens with Gracey and Williams talking about the birth of their collaboration: how Williams is responsible for Hugh Jackman joining The Greatest Show (2017); how the two used to sit for chats where Gracey would record Williams telling stories about his life; and how it was Williams referring to himself as a “performing monkey” that gave Gracey the idea to present Williams cinematically this way, thereby creating the way in to the narrative. From here, we’re guided through Jonno Davies’s (Kingsman: The Secret Service) performance process to capture Robbie at the various stages of his career, the opportunities using mocap provided to mash together multiple Davies takes to put together the best version for a scene, how Gracey allowed space for improvisation, how the “Take That” cast bonded, how the cast handled the false oner on Regent Street, and a great deal more. It’s just one fascinating detail after another highlighting the merging of reality and storytelling to create a dramatic telling of Williams’s life in a way befitting the larger-than-life individual. The second featurette, “Monkey Business: The VFX,” shifts the focus onto Wētā FX, the company responsible for merging Davies’s performance with Williams’s metaphor. Just like we hear from cast, crew, and technicians in the first featurette, “Monkey Business” gives space for the Wētā team to really drill into their process and approach. Admittedly, spending 15 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time considering the amount of work and the complexity of the work. Some of what is explored in “Monkey Business” is covered in “Let Me Entertain You,” allowing for “Monkey Business” to just dig in without as much setup. In that regard, make sure to watch “Let Me Entertain You” first so that your foundation is set. These two featurettes provide the kinds of details that make home video releases as significant to cinephiles because they afford an opportunity to go deeper on a film than the film alone provides. If there’s a complaint, it’s that there’s no commentary track as, one suspects, had one been included, a great deal more could be learned.
Jonno Davies on the set of BETTER MAN from Paramount Pictures. ©2025 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.
Now, for whatever one thinks of The Greatest Show (I loved it, but understand it took extreme liberties with the truth), one can admit that it looks incredible as it bends reality as great musicals do. In that regard, Better Man is a bit of a mixed bag. For a majority of the film, the presentation of Robbie as a monkey blends nicely to the point that one can forget that we’re seeing a digital construct (a compliment to both Davies and Wētā) which becomes quite powerful in the moment. The early scene of young Robert taking a bath with his gran where all the insecurities start as he asks her what his father meant by “it,” there’s nothing silly or strange about the tiny monkey with the shampoo mohawk. That was just any other boy. Later on, when Robbie meets Nicole Appleton, portrayed wonderfully by Raechelle Banno (Ruby), the scene dazzles as the future couple banter and then dance to “She’s the One,” their rise and fall depicted as intercut sequences amid the dance. Through “Let Me Entertain You,” we learn that this occurred on a stage surrounded by blue screen and, thanks to the setting that Gracey created, it feels inline with the vision and there’s no disconnect for the audience to experience. In contrast, during the sequence where Robbie learns of his gran’s passing and “Angels” is utilized, Gracey incorporates a purposeful separation to highlight Robbie’s dissociation as a performer and a person where even his mother standing at his side in the cemetery looks two-dimensional as the camera pushes in and past Robbie; where even the audience raising their hands at him as the song switches from cemetery to stage look to be on another plane of existence, even as they sing in harmony with Robbie. The song is already sorrowful and the emotional connection Gracey creates between it and the moment just devastates further with new meaning, the use of technology helping to convey the horrifying isolation overcoming Robbie as he runs toward sorrow. However, a lot of the power is lost when reality (even a digital one) caves in, which is what happens during the concert at Knebworth when Robbie sings “Let Me Entertain You” and fully succumbs to his anxiety and depression when he engages in a full-on fight with all the versions of himself that have haunted and taunted him since his first performance as a child. What should be a zenith moment loses its strength for several reasons, the least of which is whether or not the audience understands why one of Robbie’s selfs is flayed, and the greatest is that it entirely appears false. Perhaps this is intentional, a way to signify the lost grip on reality that Robbie has suffered right before he attempts to take his life, however, it loses its emotional punch because, despite all the good work through most of the film, the combat contains such a rubbery feel (odd for the same company behind the recent Planet of the Apes digital work) as to rip one out of the illusion.
Admittedly, after the first watch in 2024, I found myself unable to understand how I felt about the film, likely due to the struggle of really grasping the metaphor the film seeks to accomplish. Now, when I write that, I don’t mean Robbie as monkey, i.e. performing monkey, but the necessity of it throughout, and this second watch hit me like a ton of bricks. This is what Robbie thinks of himself, even as a young boy, something which Williams’s early narration points out, – which seems like the usual “Everyone is pretending” bit until we meet Peter. With Peter, we get someone whose dreams of stardom and their inability to come true create something festering so that only when he can perform does he feel alive, something which he “gifted” to Robbie by only shining a light on the child when they performed together. In many cases, a child just wants to be seen, especially by their parents and, with Peter repeatedly disappearing or just outright abandoning him, Robbie began to see himself as little more than someone else’s plaything and, thus, a performing monkey he manifested for himself. For the briefest of moments, during the post-“Let Me Entertain You” sequence when he’s fumbling with a razorblade, Robbie, the real Robbie, starts to break free, one of his chest tattoos and skin being visible under the fur as if the perception of himself was starting to fall away until it comes right back. This is what makes Better Man such a strong watch, even if elements of it don’t always hold the theatricality in a consistent way to support the thematic power Gracey aims for.
Before wrapping, it’s important to point out that the 4K UHD disc offers a surprisingly strong on-disc presentation considering both the high-use of digital components and over 40 minutes of 4K UHD special features. Typically, lots of special features in ultra-high-definition plus loads of digital wizardry in a film result in low bitrates; however, Better Man rests in the 70s with the presentation hovering primarily around 78 Mbps. For reference, a Blu-ray maxes at 40 Mbps and a 4K UHD at 128 Mbps, so the on-disc presentation with Better Man is roughly twice that of a Blu-ray at its best. Additionally, the sound on this is wonderous, which, given the musical numbers, one might presume, but isn’t always the case. Here, the musical sequences are given room to breathe sonically, filling the room without overtaking. But when the speakers really get a workout is right before the “Let Me Entertain You” fight sequence as all the voices, once smaller or coming from the front surround speakers are now an incredible omnidirectional din. One would expect, given all the concert or performance sequences that sound would be overwhelming, but it’s so well-balanced that one, instead, finds themselves just dancing along.
Being a Robbie Williams fan is not necessary to connect with Better Man. It helps, to be sure, but it’s not a requirement. Gracey and co-screenwriters Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole have framed the film less about the rise and fall of an artist, instead asking why someone seeks fame in the first place. What is it about them that pushes them to break beyond into the spotlight? In another world, Robert would’ve been doted on by both his parents, not just his mother and gran, and might’ve not felt he had to continually prove himself through accomplishments in order to be loved. Or, to feel deserving of love. That’s what audiences can latch onto, what they can understand, as not everyone pursues things just because they desire something, but because they think the accomplishment will fill a vacancy within them. What Better Man demonstrates is that, even when we accomplish the goal, when does the accomplishment make us worthy and, if it never does, why keep trying to accomplish anything? That seems nihilistic to a degree, yet, what I interpret the film to say is that until we start seeing ourselves as worthy of the things we want, as worthy of being who we are right now today, we’ll always feel empty and we’ll never become the better version we think we fall short of. Metaphors be damned, we just all want to love and be loved in return.
Better Man Special Features:
- Let Me Entertain You: The Making of Better Man — Director Michael Gracey and star Robbie Williams provide an in-depth look behind the vision and production of the film with additional insight from the cast and crew. (32:08)
- Monkey Business: The VFX — Meet the visual effects team of Wētā FX as they delve into the process of using cutting-edge technology to bring Better Man to life. (15:21)
Available on digital February 11th, 2025.
Available on Paramount+ March 14th, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray May 13th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Paramount Pictures Better Man webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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