Better Man

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5)

Robbie Williams is known as the bad boy of British pop and one of the greatest entertainers ever. He found fame as a pop group Take That member from 1990 to 1995, before launching a solo career in 1996. Known for his litany of hits, including "Angels", “Let Me Entertain You”, "Millennium" and "She's the One", his discography includes seven UK No. 1 singles, six of his albums are amongst the top 100 biggest-selling albums in the UK, five of his albums have also topped the Australian albums chart. He has sold 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted the Greatest Artist of the 1990s. His three concerts at Knebworth in 2003 drew over 375,000 people, the UK's biggest music event until Williams’ reunion tour with Take That in 2010 became the biggest-selling concert in UK history when it sold 1.34 million tickets in less than 24 hours.

To capture all of that, Better Man embraces a very bold approach by combining Williams’ own bitingly self-aware narration, with a CGI ape as a visual stand-in to realise the pop star’s experiences as a ‘performing monkey’ and traces Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of the chart-topping boyband, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

The result is like watching Rocketman or Bohemian Rhapsody but with Caesar from Planet of the Apes as the lead. And it bizarrely works. Despite its oddities, you come to settle into this classic rise and fall and rise again of the British bad boy of pop and forget you are watching a very realistic CGI ape inject heroin, crash cars and sing to adoring crowds. The effects work is awe-inspiring, but what else would be expected from the renowned team at WETA Digital. Outside of Williams’ origin story, biopic cliches and all, he was indeed a born entertainer - making a film about him a very entertaining watch! From glitzy musical numbers to brash concert extravaganzas, it’s clear that director Michael Gracey has a talent for big-screen blockbuster musical making with mass appeal … or should that be ape-eal? (Oh yeah, we went there...) The film should certainly attract long-term fans of the superstar. Still, it also serves as a fantastic introduction for those less familiar with the singer's powerful journey from self-hatred and self-destructive, unevolved, stunted superstar to redemption and forgiveness as a truly better man.

Reel Dialogue: Where Does Our True Worth Come From?

Robbie Williams' self-destructive alcoholism, drug addiction and bad-boy behaviour all stemmed from his own self-loathing and lack of self-worth. Williams’ idealised his father, who abandoned his family to pursue his own career in entertainment. As a result, the pop star's early career was driven by a desire to prove his worth to his father and receive his praise. It took years for Williams to realise that his worth came not from his father or his adoring fans, but from valuing himself regardless of how others valued or devalued him.

It raises the question, where does our true worth come from? The Bible teaches that we are loved by God, our heavenly Father. And that as His children, made in His image, we are valued and worth everything to Him. Christians find their worth in the eyes of their Heavenly Father. Where do you find your worth?

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

If you would like to know more about the God who is in control, contact us at Third Space.