- Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man reimagines singer as CGI monkey
- American fans are left wondering who exactly Williams is
- Better Man hits cinemas on 26 December 2024
Robbie Williams biopic Better Man reimagines the Take That singer as a CGI monkey – and it appears to have already divided the internet.
Directed by The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey, this new adaptation of the life and career of a Brit music icon has taken an unexpected narrative approach.
It sees newcomer Jonno Davies play a young Williams, chronicling his childhood and rise to boy band stardom as the break-out star of British pop act Take That.
However, Davies’ performance will be delivered via a motion-capture CGI monkey for portions of the story.
Robbie Williams Better Man trailer
That’s the elevator pitch although the short teaser has wasted no time in getting UK and US fans to share very different reactions on social media.
While both seem equally taken aback by Williams as a computer-generated ape, American viewers have been left wondering who exactly Williams is.
“I need to be honest: i have zero idea who robbie williams is,” one viewer candidly explained on X.
“I didn’t really know much of anything about Robbie Williams when I saw this movie, and I had a pretty damn good time with it,” said a movie writer from Texas, sharing his more balanced thoughts on the same platform.
“Really enjoying watching people from outside the UK have absolutely no clue who Robbie Williams is,” said a post from another X user.
Thankfully, some viewers did recognize the star and suggested that they were looking forward to seeing the movie.
“Robbie Williams is laughed off by snobs but he’s a working class lad who became a pop icon and we shouldn’t wait until he’s dead to celebrate him. This looks fantastic, not sorry,” said one UK fan on the site formerly known as Twitter.
US film writer Courtney Howard was aware of Williams too, saying: “I haven’t stopped thinking about #BetterMan/ #BetterManMovie ever since seeing it last week. My mind was blown.
“It’s legit IMPRESSIVE.”
Better Man release date
Audiences won’t have to wait too long to see Better Man. It’s released on 17 January 2025 in America following a 26 December 2024 UK release.
The movie co-stars Inside No 9’s Steve Pemberton as Williams’ dad, Alison Steadman as his mum Betty, and a range of newcomers as his Take That bandmates.
Expect to find Jake Simmance as Gary Barlow, Liam Head as Howard Donald, Jesse Hyde as Mark Owen and Chase Vollenweider as Jason Orange.
