The biographical musical Better Man explores the life of pop singer Robbie Williams, depicted in the movie as a CG-animated anthropomorphic chimpanzee. It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024, before receiving a limited theatrical release in the US on December 25. The film has garnered largely positive reviews before its wider release on January 10, 2025, resulting in high Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores.
Better Man reviews praise Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic
Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent (UK) noted that “Better Man makes us believe a CGI chimp can convincingly convey the agony and ecstasy of pop star Robbie Williams.” According to Loughrey, the movie works especially because of the chimpanzee “gimmick.”
The Observer’s Wendy Ide praised the movie’s depiction of the leading character as a chimpanzee. Ide wrote that the film otherwise would have been “a rote addition to the rock biopic canon.” However, the portrayal of Williams as a monkey infused “the story with humour, mischief, and a sparky, unpredictable anarchy.”
City AM’s Victoria Luxford pointed out that Better Man “lacks subtlety” just like the man it is supposed to be about, but asserts even those who know the pop star will have a better understanding of him after watching the movie.
Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com gave a glorious review, writing, “There’s a surfeit of charm here that helps sell the nonsensical gimmick.”
Chris Wasser of The Irish Independent mentioned that Better Man “isn’t afraid to experiment” with the biopic genre and added that Robin Williams’ “high-powered songbook works astonishingly well with the musical side.” He further described the movie as “an unexpected triumph.”
Better Man gets solid Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores
Better Man has a 90% approval rating on the review aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes after 104 reviews. It has a score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic, which utilizes a weighted average to rate a movie, after 30 reviews, denoting a “generally favorable” response. When it debuts across the US, the filmmakers will likely hope that the positive critical response will draw the attention of the general audience.
