Better Man
critic Reviews
, 88% Certified Fresh Tomatometer Score- Daring to substitute its marquee star with a VFX creation and somehow pulling it off, Better Man makes a monkey out of the traditional musical biopic to thrilling effect.
- , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreTim CogshellFilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
It's raw, so simple, but by having that chimpanzee in there it's somehow extremely stark.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreAdam NaymanThe Ringer
Regardless of how much Better Man actually works, it’s one of the only recent movies made at its budget level with a genuinely interesting relationship between its form and content.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreDavid SimsThe Atlantic
It properly delves into its subject’s erratic persona, using the musical segments to advance the story instead of as mandatory breaks in the action. The result is one of the most thoughtfully constructed movies about a musician I’ve seen in years.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreTasha RobinsonPolygon
While the movie is drawn from Robbie Williams’ life, it’s better to think of it as a fantasy feature. Michael Gracey plays with image and emotion over facts, telling a story through bold, expressive, visually startling sequences.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreDanny LeighFinancial Times
Of course, the story arc eventually curves up, but the movie is quite the one-off: a crowd-pleaser that feels like singing along to a psychiatric report.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreMark KermodeKermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)
In the end, it is overlong, it is indulgent, and it is essentially foolish, but for all that, it is much more rewarding and entertaining than I expected, and damn it if that central idea actually doesn't work.
Read full article - , Rotten Tomatometer ScoreJohn SerbaDecider
I didn’t hate Better Man from chimpan-A to chimpan-Z, but ultimately, making a monkey out of Robbie Williams is an idea too difficult for Gracey to pull off.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreManuel BetancourtFilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
It should not work, and yet the commitment by director Michael Gracey is such that it's hard to look away.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreCasey ChongCasey's Movie Mania
The otherwise familiar music biopic gets a lively and even poignant cinematic experience.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreSarah CartlandCaution Spoilers
If you’re worried Robbie Williams as a chimp will be distracting, it soon seems not so much off-the-wall as necessary. His story is brutal but it’s also common; how else to get people’s attention?
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