Better Man (2024)

Robbie Williams is played by a computer-generated chimpanzee for his entire biopic, and the strangest part is how fast you stop noticing. The bones underneath are standard: the dad who walks out, the boy band, the fame, the spiral, the recovery, the reunion. The middle loops through his struggles one time too many, and a few emotional beats get hammered instead of played. But Michael Gracey directs like a man with nothing to lose. Jonno Davies gives the ape its moves, Robbie himself narrates, and the result is weirdly, disarmingly expressive. Little Robert in Stoke-on-Trent, idolizing a police constable dad who dreams of the stage, is easy to love, and so is Grandma Betty. The Take That years, from the manager who renames him Robbie to the clashes with Gary Barlow, crackle with musical numbers that feel inventive instead of dutiful. It made $22.5 million worldwide on a reported $110M. An 8.1 because the gimmick turns into honesty. $9.36 says the next time a Take That song comes on, you picture a chimp singing it.

What works: The chimp gamble pays off: the ape is surprisingly expressive, and the musical numbers are staged with real invention and energy.

What doesn’t: The story follows the standard rise, fall and comeback template, and the middle loops through Robbie’s struggles long enough to feel repetitive.

Who it’s for: Take That fans, and anyone who thinks music biopics have gotten too polite and too samey.