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Pop star Robbie Williams narrates his electrifying real-life story as a movie musical. Williams calls himself an oddball, so he cast a CGI monkey to play himself. This is gonna be interesting.
The dynamic trailer displays Robbie Williams (voiced by himself) explaining the decision to cast himself as a CGI monkey via narration, explaining it to be the only way to capture himself as a “less evolved” spirit.
Better Man (2025) – source: Paramount Pictures
Through quick flashes, we see glimpses of Williams’ upbringing in working-class England, his rise to stardom as a member of the boy band Take That, his drug use, and wild adventures across the world in a surreal, fantastical, satirical, musical thrill ride.
Sometimes a big-budget movie takes such a huge swing, that one can’t help but be curious. A Robbie Williams musical biopic starring a CGI monkey (with some damn impressive motion-capture) definitely fits the bill. Like Rocketman before it, the 1st trailer seems to be taking a loose approach to history, letting Williams’ music and surreal drug-laden imagery suit the emotional beats rather than adhrering to a strict historical retelling.
And honestly, I’m for it. While many may prefer more traditional storytelling, musical biopics have shined brightest when they deify their subjects. These people have become cultural institutions, superheroes of popular history. Letting the audience experience those spectacle-based moments has led to films like Bohemian Rhapsody or Elvis achieving blockbuster success. Director Michael Gracey brings his signature epic scope to the project, making Williams appear almost godlike.
The 1st trailer for Better Man definitely succeeds in capturing Williams as “otherworldly”, but outclasses its fellow biopics by maintaining more distinctly witty humor and action-heavy imagery, helping it stand apart from the Oscar-bait drama-filled biopics this fall.
If the final film lives up to the pace of this 1st trailer, audiences could be in for a truly unforgettable experience. This looks to be a “real-life” story done in a way no one has ever seen.
Directed by Michael Gracey, Better Man will be released theatrically in the US on January 17, 2025. The movie stars Robbie Williams voicing a CGI version of himself.
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