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Better Man

2024

Biography / Fantasy / Music / Musical

41
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 89% · 219 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 90% · 250 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.6/10 10 31923 31.9K

Plot summary

Follow Robbie Williams' journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

Director

Top cast

Damon Herriman as Nigel Martin Smith
Karina Banno as Natalie Appleton
Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB.x265 2160p.WEB.x265
1.22 GB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 15 min
Seeds 44
2.5 GB
1920*800
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 15 min
Seeds 56
1.22 GB
1280*530
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
2 hr 15 min
Seeds 100+
2.5 GB
1920*796
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
2 hr 15 min
Seeds 100+
2.26 GB
1920*796
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
2 hr 15 min
Seeds 100+
6.03 GB
3840*1588
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
2 hr 15 min
Seeds 100+

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Boristhemoggy 8 / 10

A better film for a better man

The documentary that follows the struggles of pop star Robbie Williams as he navigates his way through fame.I shall start by saying I am not a Robbie Williams fan. He's had some great tracks out in the past, I actually know all the words to Angels, and that's only 1 of about a dozen songs I know all the words to, 9 of them being Taylor Swift songs. But anyway, my friend wanted to see the film as she is a big Williams fan so I agreed to accompany her and boy, am I glad I did.Why is there an ape instead of Robbie Williams? Well Williams claims that fame is dogged by people expecting him to be a performing monkey. And I concur with that. You only have to watch modern chat shows to realise that all people want their stars to do is perform like a monkey for them. This is Robbie at his most truthful, telling it like it is without fear of repercussion. I like him already, as I like truthful people. This though extends into his film too. His film is not about his music, there's only 2 or 3 tracks played the whole way through. The film is not even really about his fame directly: the film is about him. How he copes (or does not) with fame, how he copes with competition (or does not) how he copes with rejection and frustration, (or does not), how he revels in drink and drugs and how he eventually sinks so low and alienates his closest friends that he has to seek therapy to bring him back to a functioning human.It is a staggeringly honest film and he does not shirk from his mistakes, nor the mistakes of others. He does not portray himself as a victim although in some ways I think he was. He wants everyone to understand who he is, who he was, and what shaped him to this point.The cinematography is exquisite. The lighting and colours beautiful, the dancing at times is mesmerising: the scene in the main street that appears to have thousands of people in is just cinematic perfection. The CGI ape dances like the best dancer in the world and it is so great to watch I was actually taken aback by how beautiful it was.I now have a positive opinion of this man who can bare his soul to all and sundry and do it with panache and style and brutal honesty. I would urge anyone who likes cinema to watch this film just for the cinematic experience if nothing else. Kudos to Erik Wilson (cinematographer), beautiful work. I gave it a solid 8.
Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

Better Man

There's something about the use of the monkey to characterise Robbie Williams that makes this quite a visceral watch at times. The film tells the story of the fairly turbulent rise of this "Take That" singer from boyhood exponent of Gilbert and Sullivan to a man on the right end of an £80 millions record deal. His dad (Steve Pemberton) went off to a football match whilst he was a child and never came back, and that left him with his mum "Janet" (Kate Mulvany) and adoring nan (Alison Steadman) living a pretty much hand to mouth existence and leaving him with a pretty solid foundation for his later emotional and trust issues. Unless you've lived on the moon these last twenty years, then you'll know much of what happens next. What does make this stand out a little more is the fact that Williams himself is behind the project and is in no way afraid to portray himself as a complete ass. His drink, drugs, tantrums and generally spoilt brattishness are laid bare with little, if any, attempt to sanitise. In some ways it reminded me of the recent "Amy" biopic and came hot on the heels of a recent viewing of "Easter Parade" (1948) with both serving, for completely different reasons, to augment the thrust of this story of a person who attained great stardom, success and wealth - and ultimately ended up with addictions galore and few, real, friends amidst a sea of hangers-on and parasites all too eager to selfishly cash in on the fame of a lad who started aged just fifteen. Of course it's not exactly balanced, and I'm sure the gospel according to Robbie might not be quite how others see their own behaviour (or his) but there is an honesty to this that brings home just how ruthless the music business is and at just how fickle fame can be when those we idolise lose their lustre. It doesn't do it any harm that many of his solo songs work well through big screen audio with some classy string arrangements and powerful vocals to remind us that, unlike many of the largely forgotten "Take That" singles, his music - especially the stuff he made with Guy Chambers - is the stuff we will really long remember. It's not for the faint hearted, but still well worth a watch.
Reviewed by mulneh 9 / 10

Powerfully moving, entertaining and heartbreaking

I've never felt moved enough by a film before to feel the need to write a review - I haven't laughed and cried so much in the cinema for a very long time I've never been a massive Robbie Williams/Take that fan - so this is not a super fan review This film was a first hand gut wrenching look at how awful fame can be in all its inglorious brutal reality.In a year of lacklustre disappointing cinema this was a shining light of entertainment - with some excellent story telling, singing and dance routines (and an all too real glimpse into the lives of Robbie and his family).Watching the main themes of abandonment, alcoholism, addiction, helplessness & forgiveness play out in this story was exceptionally moving and a biopic to be remembered and revered.
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