BETTER MAN

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film is narrated by pop superstar Robbie Williams as he goes through his life story. Throughout the film, Robbie is represented as a chimpanzee, as he sees himself as “less evolved”.

1982 – Young Robert (Carter J. Murphy) lives in Stoke-on-Trent. He is playing football with another group of kids and is humiliated when he falls down. He goes home to his parents Peter (Steve Pemberton) and Janet (Kate Mulvany), and his nan Betty (Alison Steadman). Peter has had dreams of stardom, even singing Frank Sinatra with Robert. However, in Peter’s mind, if you aren’t born with talent, you might as well be a “nobody”. Betty assures her grandson that he most certainly has what it takes.

Robert joins a school production of “Pirates of Penzance”, where he wins over the crowd with his singing talents and ability to improvise, but he is still haunted by the inner voices in his head (manifesting as angry visions of himself). Meanwhile, Peter does a standup comedy performance and decides to change his name from Williams to “Conway”, before leaving his family. Robert hangs on to some of his father’s items (“Feel”) while he moves to a smaller home with Janet and Betty.

As a teenager (Jonno Davies), Robert has aspirations to become a famous singer, but is told by a school counselor to not get his hopes up and to focus on his studies. He is best friends with Nate (Frazer Hadfield), who does not share as big a dream as Robert. Later on, Robert overhears on the radio that there is an audition for a boy band being held that weekend, which gets him excited.

Robert goes to the audition, where he meets manager Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman), a “first-class cunt”. He starts to do “Straighten Up and Fly Right”, but Nigel cuts him off early and is unimpressed. Before he is sent out, Robert then speaks to Nigel as if he has already secured the gig, and with a wink, he grabs Nigel’s attention.

Robert and Betty are later surprised and elated to hear from Peter, who is in town and wants to reconnect. Throughout their interaction, Peter seems less interested in actually connecting and more the prospects of his son reaching some form of stardom. When Robert gets home to inform Janet that he failed his exams, she tells him first that he got in the band. Robert and Janet celebrate (and also curse out a rude neighbor).

Robert joins Nigel and meets the other members of the band – hunky Howard Donald (Liam Head), experienced dancer Jason Orange (Chase Vollenweider), the “just lovely” Mark Owen (Jesse Hyde), and eventual frontman Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance) – which is called “Take That”, and Robert starts going by Robbie, which he doesn’t like. Nigel makes it so that Gary is the songwriter, despite Robbie requesting to write some of the songs.

The band starts to perform at gay clubs (“I Found Heaven”), where Robbie feels welcome by the excited crowds. For a few months, Take That tours the gay clubs until Nigel lands them at a club with a large female turnout. After performing a hit show, Nigel chews Robbie out for talking to a reporter behind the band’s back and playing himself up as the face of the band when Nigel says he is easily replaceable. Making things worse for the boys, Nigel orders them to keep it clean with the girls, not helped by a whole swarm of them joining them moments later and they are forced to remain abstinent.

Following a meeting with an executive who only gives the band a chance because his daughter fell in love with them, Take That achieves superstardom (“Rock DJ”) to the point of having fans crowding outside Robbie’s home (which makes Janet and Betty uncomfortable, especially with his growing ego). Robbie also clashes with the other guys, particularly Gary, since Robbie tends to try and hog the spotlight for himself.

While in the recording studio, Robbie is tried out with the lead vocals for “Relight My Fire”, but it doesn’t sound good until Gary is made the lead and Nigel declares that they have a hit on their hands. Robbie starts to abuse substances like cocaine and alcohol. This gets serious during a show when Robbie passes out moments before Take That is set to go onstage. Nigel chastises him as he lapses in and out of consciousness before Robbie manages to get back on his feet, though he struggles to keep up with the choreography. He also showboats and takes attention away from the other guys.

Robbie later goes to Gary’s mansion, where he, Howard, Jason, and Mark have gathered to let Robbie know that they are choosing to move the band forward as a four-piece. Robbie drives away defiantly (“Come Undone”) and ends up crashing his car into a river, where he is haunted by the visions of fans dragging him underwater, blaming him for the band getting smaller. This, plus the perception that Robbie is only driven by his ego, leads him to spiral further into his addictions.

Robbie is later on a New Year’s Eve party boat where he meets Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno), a member of the girl group All Saints. They begin a romance (“She’s The One”), and a montage shows that the two were expecting a child, but Nicole’s manager (also described by Robbie as a “cunt”) forces her to get an abortion, which puts a damper on their otherwise happy romance. Robbie later attends a party with Nicole since All Saints has a new number one hit song, “Never Ever”. At the party, Robbie meets up with Nate again and learns that he is going to be a father, and Robbie congratulates his friend. Robbie also meets brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher (Leo Harvey-Elledge and Chris Gun), who are both rude and egotistical (and Robbie shows that he and Liam often quarreled in the media), but Liam later invites Robbie to hang with them.

At home, Robbie makes a critical comment regarding “Never Ever” because of its themes about family, when he is still bitter about Nicole getting an abortion. She hits back at his behavior when he is drunk and how he cares too much about what other people think about him. Robbie later goes to visit Janet and Betty, where Janet informs him that Betty’s mind is starting to slip. This causes Betty to accidentally reveal to Robbie that she was the one who contacted Peter about reconnecting with him and that it wasn’t his own idea. Betty breaks down over her mistake.

Robbie later meets with Guy Chambers (Tom Budge) as his potential new songwriting partner. Guy says that most of what Robbie has so far sounds the same with each song, but Robbie starts to sing “Something Beautiful”, which begins to impress Guy. Robbie starts to get managed by Chris Briggs (Anthony Hayes) and begins a career revival (“Land of 1000 Dances”), but he still struggles with substance abuse. Robbie books a major concert at Knebworth, whereupon Peter shows up after the news. Robbie argues with him over how the fame is all Peter has cared about.

Robbie appears on Michael Parkinson’s (John Waters) show while Janet watches with Betty (who is just barely still there). Flashes throughout the interview show Robbie goofing off in his solo stardom after the release of his debut album, while also showing the fallout of his relationship with Nicole, who would eventually go on to be with Liam.

Right before a show, Robbie is called by Janet to inform him that Betty has passed away. Robbie’s world is shattered, and he mourns his nan (“Angels”). After the funeral, Robbie ends up in another bender. He is visited by Nate, who mentions how his girlfriend left him and that he barely gets to see his child, but Robbie is more preoccupied with the Knebworth concert. He lashes out at Nate, who leaves Robbie alone. Later, he is seen at a lake where Peter tries to go in and get him out, but Robbie calls him out on his abandonment and how he has only ever been there for Robbie Williams, but never Robert.

At the Knebworth concert, Robbie begins to put on a big show (“Let Me Entertain You”), but he continues to be haunted by his inner voices and previous selves criticizing him and making him doubt himself. This leads to a scene where Robbie attacks all of his doubtful selves in a melee in the midst of an intense battle.

Robbie eventually enters rehab and seeks treatment for his issues. He admits to a therapy group over how he hates himself for the persona he put on as “Robbie”, and how he has broken every close relationship in his life. This leads to Robbie deciding to take himself more seriously and repairing his relationships with Gary, Nicole, and Nate, among others (“Better Man”).

Robbie later performs a show at the Royal Albert Hall, where both Peter and Janet are present. Robbie gets to the end of the show, where he performs “My Way” and even invites Peter to sing alongside him, finally reconciling. In the crowd, he sees his past selves, including himself as a child, all no longer judging him, but now proud of him. As Robbie ends, he dedicates the show to Betty. As he receives thunderous applause, the real Robbie concludes that if he had to define himself, he would say he is a “fucking entertainer” and that he’s the “fucking best”.

The film is a look at the life of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, who is depicted as a chimpanzee.

Robbie's father Peter leaves the family at a young age to pursue a career as an entertainer. Robbie develops a talent for performing and joins the boy band Take That as a teenager. Despite the band's raging success across the country, Robbie clashes with manager Nigel Martin-Smith and his bandmates, including frontman Gary Barlow. This leads to Robbie getting kicked out of the band.

Robbie develops a relationship with singer Nicole Appleton of the girl group All Saints, but he also struggles with drug and alcohol abuse as well. Nicole is forced by her manager to abort her and Robbie's baby, leading to more friction and their eventual split. Robbie later starts a comeback as a solo artist under new management, but his world is shaken when his grandmother Betty passes away. He also severs relationships like his best friend Nate due to his addictions and behavior.

After a concert at Knebworth where Robbie struggles to stay focused, he eventually enters rehab and a therapy program to confront his inner demons and begin to make a change. He reconciles with Gary, Nicole, and Nate, and later performs a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, where he performs alongside Peter. Robbie continues his career with a restored sense of confidence and self-worth.