BETTER MAN | Film Threat Reviews

[@fromchomleystreet]

Robbie Williams must surely be the most famous entertainer ever to not be famous in the US. Seriously, I don’t think the ratio between US fame and rest-of-the-world fame has ever been more extremely out of whack with anybody else I can think of. Kylie Minogue might run a close second.

[@Halbared]

Morecambe and Wise, George Formby, Norman Wisdom. It happens on a frequent basis. Septics don't get everything.

[@AmyTee12]

I learned of Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue when I lived abroad 20 years ago. Very glad I did, they’ve both made terrific pop music, and I likely would not have learned of them otherwise, as an American.

[@Halbared]

How can my comment no be here yet I sill get notifications? Anyhoo, G Formby, Norman Wisdom, Morecambe and Wise, it happens a lot.

[@Chan-zn7wb]

Their collab was great.

[@DlaGraphical]

I take knowing Robbie Williams and having had his music all my life for granted and almost can’t even imagine someone discovering it all only now.

[@RolandDeschain1]

Robbie made a stab at trying to break America, but literally decided mid-way through that he just couldn't be bothered, since he was a superstar in every other country in the world an America was too much work. He actually moved to the US for the anonymity, since the tabloids in the UK were hounding him 24/7. He bought a huge mansion in Beverly Hills and was able to get away from most of that.

[@timmyb7734]

He was friends with Guy Ritchie and Mathew Vaughan, played football together between takes on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

[@jamesg7811]

As an Englishman of a certain age I hated Take That but didn't mind Robbie Williams solo stuff. If Film Threat likes the movie then I guess I can give it a go!

[@peterd788]

He's one of the few people you could make a film about with this premise.

[@MedalionDS9]

Robbie Williams was pretty huge in the late 90's to early 2000's, mostly internationally but had some minor success in the U.S.. He had a few popular singles on the radio like "Millennium", "Angels", "Rock DJ".. Robbie is kind of a pop bad boy who flirted with a lot of images and music styles from pop, rock.. and he was kinda seen as a James Bondish like image, despite again, being a bit of a misfit bad boy who was joking around. He had a weird feud with former friends the Gallagher Brothers from Oasis, mainly Liam.

[@HamishDownie]

“Back for Good” also managed to crack the top ten the US

[@Paola05]

And “Better Man” also

[@Paola05]

@@HamishDowniewith Take that, the band not him as solo, yes. Nice song, and the video played a lot on MTV back then :)

[@Cloxxki]

None of the Take That songs were written by Robbie, though, I think? He was considered as less musically and lyrically talented than Ringo Starr in The Beatles who did get some writing credits and solo songs. Coincidentally or not, Ringo is still making albums (!!!), and they sound VERY Ringo. Robbie started out singing other people's songs in Take That, did the Sinatra thing, and wrote a bunch of bangers which Sinatra never did.

[@cheekyjawa9017]

I'm looking looking forward to this film. His dad is played by Steve Pembertonon one half of the talented writers and actor's of the amazing tv show Inside No.9. Plus the Robbie Williams thing might be interesting.

[@MagnumPi88]

Made in Melbourne at Docklands studio.

[@Experiment_6_2_6]

Robbie Williams toured with Queen for a while. He was the singer for the Queen song that appeared on A Knight's Take soundtrack.

[@littlewillie65]

Robbie Williams did Something Stupid with Nicole Kidman. Something Stupid being the old love song by Frank and Nancy Sinatra (which is kind of creepy when you think about it)...

[@fromchomleystreet]

Nicole Kidman did something stupid with Tom Cruise. She married him.

[@Sammo212]

Robbie Williams is pretty popular outside of the US bubble. I think this idea for a movie is pretty cool, taking a twist on a bio pic.

[@rieskorin2027]

Pish! Call yourself film buffs. Robbie sang the end credits song "Beyond the sea" on Finding Nemo. Get the lead out guys 😄

[@Cloxxki]

He sang "Something Stupid" with Nicole Kidman. How does one miss that?

[@carlettoburacco9235]

If I'm not mistaken, Robbie Williams is the one who, at an award ceremony (Grammy), said something like: "Thank you all for my millions, my houses and my supermodel girlfriends." He may have been a chimp, but at least he was sincere..... and he is entretaining. The song "Let Me Entertain You" was not a a play on words.

[@RampantDaydream]

Making Robbie Williams a chimp is genius, Robbie is an icon (maybe not in USA), so very recognisable. No one would match his look or charisma (a problem most biopics of iconic people have). The chimp becomes an abstraction, which weirdly makes him more relatable and sympathetic. Whether that’s because we like animals more than people, or allows us to personify the chimp and live vicariously through it, I’m not sure. It’s a weird glitch in the matrix, where it seems to force multiply all the emotional motions in the film. The angry chimp is more frightening, the drug addled chimp feels more exploited, the euphoric chimp feels more accepted. It’s a crazy idea that works 100%.

[@Misanthropic_Antrhopoid]

Check out the video to Rock DJ. I am not a big fan on the song, but the video is hysterical.

[@steele8280]

Came here to recommend this very thing.

[@AsherFeltman]

I know "Get Ready For it" by Take That because of Kingsman. Between that and Michael Gracey, I'm looking forward to cbecking this out.

[@Cloxxki]

What fascinates me is that he didn't have writing credits in Take That. When the band fell apart, the "more talented" writers of the band had their little solo project. And then, Robbie wrote a bunch of legendary songs. There's got to be a great story in there.

[@bradwhite5884]

@@Cloxxki Late 90's, early 2000's were peak Robbie Williams era, heck he has some good tunes all the way up to the 2010's, not a bad career for him tbh, but his peak era was his early years tbh

[@LesterBurnham1978]

This sounds like a great watch. I'd love to have a pint with Robbie.

[@augustintiberiu6330]

Baffled that they didn't know Take That and Robbie Williams ,they are old enough to know them

[@jonchowe]

They aren't known in the US. At all.

[@Mannydz23]

I love Film Threat ! put this is the last review I will watch before watching the movie! They always spoil the fing movie!!! DAMN!!! LOL!

[@robertdouble559]

Yep. A synopsis is not a review. It takes a certain skill to review a movie without ruining it.

[@MSinistrari]

I only knew of Robbie Williams from his Rock DJ video being controversial because he rips off everything down to the bones during the song.

[@Misanthropic_Antrhopoid]

I nearly hit the floor laughing when I saw the video the first time. Of course, I am a fairly twisted individual.

[@michelleduncombe9675]

In Australia we love Robbie Williams because he is so self deprecating.

[@rogerborg]

Boys band together strong.

[@earlgrayman982]

I'm not in Robbie Williams fan demographic but I legit think this looks like it could be a very interesting movie.

[@StevenKean]

I remember his song „me and my monkey“. Seems like kind of an alter ego for me.

[@bathtub_marmot]

They'll never make a Frank Zappa film-- not enough drugs, alcohol & women 😆

[@MsFreshadenu]

A Zappa film with drugs wouldn't really be a serious Zappa movie unless it was based around the Mothers as a band and ended around 70-71.

[@Valkonnen]

No Drugs or alcohol for Frank

[@yellowjackboots2624]

A Zappa film would be excruciatingly dull.

[@gundamzing]

Robbie Williams was big in the 90s - early 2000s

[@hels4739]

Take That were my life in the 90s!

[@RolandDeschain1]

And they're still brilliant, even though they're now down two members..

[@arya-x7x]

They could never do this if robbie were black

[@davidh1970]

I'm a Robbie fan and had no interest in seeing this film until now. The monkey aspect of the film was to weird. The trailer features moments from Robbie's career that us Americans won't recognize and I think that is why the trailer doesn't do a good job of selling the movie here. Robbie has always been open about his "demons" as he puts it, so I'm not surprised that he allows himself to be portrayed negatively in the film.

[@CandiLain]

If you were an american tween/teen girl in the late 90s who even remotely followed the brit-pop movement, you probably caught a brief whiff of Robbie Williams' "Millennium". I think it was his only hit that made it state-side... very few of those pop stars made it out of the scene unscathed by the wild west of childhood fame on the 90s...

[@bftvclips8925]

He used to be on TRL, he is pretty funny

[@stumpy4770]

For guys that have no idea who Robbie Williams is, 8 and 8.5 out of 10, is a 10 out of 10, for anyone that knows Robbie's life and work.

[@dash4800]

This is a nonsensical sentence

[@stumpy4770]

@@dash4800 I LOVE comments like this, they tell you something, without saying anything. Well done you.

[@dash4800]

@stumpy4770 whatever, the sentence still makes no sense

[@stumpy4770]

@@dash4800 Makes plenty of sense. If these guys, that have never heard of and don't know Robbie at all, enjoyed it to give it a score of 8. If they knew Robbie Williams it would make the film even more enjoyable, hence the 10 remark. Not hard.

[@dash4800]

@stumpy4770 lol, go back to school and learn how to write sentences if that's what that nonsense meant.

[@Mazafaka77]

он не слышал о Роби Вильямсе...Он жил в лесу, без радио и тв?

[@AndrewFloydWebber]

I don’t know, Chimp Bizkit sounds more entertaining (“My way or the highway!”)

[@Tyresaurus]

Robbie Williams is huge here in Australia, and it's everywhere, on the damn tv. He's music is good but damn it's being oversaturated by the media, overusing his music.

[@Ancientreapers]

Sounds like it was inspired but the song Dance Monkey (Tones and I)

[@steele8280]

Robbie Williams has a song called “Me and My Mpnkey” on the Escapology album. It’s a great end epic song.

[@Halbared]

The last boyband? Westife, boyzone and all the other crappy ones?

[@RolandDeschain1]

Take That were kind of the first one after New Kids on the Block. They initially broke up in 1995 just as all the crappy knock-offs were starting up and Britpop was exploding.

[@movies_are_life]

The trailer was awful. No way this makes much money.

[@vaporwave4880]

It probably won’t mean anything to anyone outside the UK.

[@anonmouse956]

I won’t see it because of the monkey thing, but I honestly wouldn’t see it anyway so the producers aren’t losing anything.

[@vaporwave4880]

Cool story bro

[@darthlaurel]

I was hoping this would be about Gorillaz.

[@rogerborg]

Still makes me laugh that Gorillaz and the Power Puff Girls are canonically in the same universe.

[@FloralShoppingCard]

To Americans like Alan who dont know Robbie Williams: Take That was probably THE biggest boyband in the world, bigger than Nsync or the Backstreet Boys. Robbie Williams had a rough start in the beginnning of his solo career until his 3rd single was released "Angles". Robbie Williams became so big you can describe his success and impact to Taylor Swift today. Anyways, i would love to watch a Robbie Williams bio picture but not with the stupid idea of a monkey to portrait him.

[@seangalvin4582]

If Take That was as big as N'Sync and he was as popular as Taylor Swift we would have heard of them and him. He might have been as popular as them to people in Europe, but that's not the world. I only heard of Angels. That was a modest success here in the states. Taylor Swift is mega popular EVERYWHERE. That said, I know he was very popular in what sounds like everywhere, but in the U.S.

[@acetate909]

No, Take That was not the most popular boyband in the world. They weren't even the most popular boyband out of Britain, and I'm assuming you think this because you're British. Take That was hardly a blip on the radar in America, evidenced by the fact that Allan and Chris never heard of them. But I garauntee they're both aware of One Direction. Also, N'Sync, The Back Street Boys and New Kids On The Block had significant more worldwide popularity than Take That. And this isn't a matter of opinion and can be quantifiablly backed up by international records and ticket sales.

[@confucamus3536]

The only song anyone knows about this dude is millennium

[@horus6153]

He became so big neither host as heard of him? And comparing Taylor Swifts success to some mid level British pop star is like saying Michael Jackson was just as popular as Abba. Also, Michael Jackson was in a much more popular boyband than the _Take That,_ _The Jackson 5._ I was bored and searched "biggest boybands of all time" and out of two dozen separate rankings _Take That_ didn't make the top ten in any of them.

[@gregmeyer1805]

​@@confucamus3536I have heard the name Robbie Williams but I cannot name a single song from him.

[@pawelmacpoof5687]

I like how the film is reviewed like its a fictional person in from a famous fictional band. Like eh Velvet Goldmine.

[@stuartphoenix6117]

He does adverts for cat food now.

[@lucymiau5700]

Does he eat it?

[@LycanVisuals]

Ceasar taking up music now?

[@clydegentry9964]

Millionaire biopic

[@soothsayer1964]

Don't know why they bothered. It just looks like Robbie Williams anyway.

[@dbdeets]

You don't know who Robbie Williams is!? 🙄 Are you living under a rock or perhaps the world ends outside US borders. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@GreatUSTreasureHunt]

Yes. The world ends outside US borders.

[@keithmichael112]

🍫⭐🐟

[@stoildiankov4969]

Robbie is not Michael Buble!He is much much more talented and better!He has much more and better songs than the male Mariah. 😂😂😂😂

[@JankenChamp]

I almost didn't even click on this because I saw the trailer for the movie the other day.

[@JohnnyWordSmith]

A list: American fame B list: British fame

[@D.A.B-w7n]

Drugs and drinking are the same thing. Alcohol is a drug. Stop being a sheep….baaa baaaa baaaaa.

[@thepoeticbutcher3370]

….most people understood what was said..

[@D.A.B-w7n]

@ Then why does EVERYONE say drugs and alcohol? Cuz weez all brainwashed by old corpo central, datz why. Gotta go, got some grass to munch on. Baaaaa, baaaaa.

[@jonchowe]

Yeah but COFFEE IS A DRUG TOOO!!1

[@D.A.B-w7n]

@ Too true, too true…. and all the good little sheep love it! Drink up little sheep and work a few extra, unpaid hours.🤪

[@yellowjackboots2624]

Robbie Williams was regarded as a joke in the 90s. Zero credibility

[@rogerborg]

And yet, here he is still touring, and having biopics made about him. Seethe and mald, I guess.