Better Manchanges or leaves out many elements of Robbie Williams' life. Exploring thetrue story of Robbie Williams' rise to fame,Better Manhas proven to resonate with critics.Better Man’s incredibly positive reviewspraise the film for several reasons, with perhaps the most common being the funny, bizarre, and emotional way the story conveys the various moments of Williams' life.Better Man’s cast of charactersfills out the various eras of the pop star’s career, from his early days as a member of Take That to his solo ventures.
Performed byBetter Man’s much-discussed CGI ape, Williams' life is presented to those who are both familiar with the singer and unaware of his life. Given that Williams never cracked North America, many audience members in the USA will not be caught up in the singer’s many trials and tribulations. As such,Better Manhas the freedom to make some changes and even outright omit some elements from the story. With that in mind, here is everything the film changes from Robbie Williams' real life, and potential reasons as to why these changes were made.
7Better Man Doesn’t Outline Robbie Williams' Solo Career After The Film Ends
Williams' Solo Career Is Still Successful To This Day
Interestingly,Better Manleft out many elements from Robbie Williams' life after the movie ended. Mostmusic biopic moviestend to include credits of some sort detailing what became of their subjects after, yetBetter Manmostly left this element absent. As such, there were several years of Robbie Williams' life that were not addressed duringBetter Man, including the continuation of his solo career beyond the end of the film. When exactly the film ends is unclear given its jumbled timeline, but it is likely in the late 2000s.
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Between 2009 and 2022, Williams released a further six solo studio albums. These albums only furthered his fame within the UK, Europe, Asia, and Australia, contributing to Williams becoming the best-selling artist in Britain where albums are concerned. “XXV” in 2022 saw Williams sell 14 number-one UK albums, breaking the previous record of 13 held by Elvis Presley.Better Manleft these elements out, instead ending in the 2000s after Williams' first solo career stint.
6Better Man Leaves Out Robbie Williams' Second Stint In Take That
The Band Reunited In The 2010s
One of the more prominent subplots ofBetter Manwas the start of Robbie Williams' career as a member of Take That. The film outlined the band’s stratospheric rise to fame, their subsequent arguments and tensions, and the group becoming a quartet after Williams left the band. At the end ofBetter Man, a scene showcases Williams apologizing to fellow band member Gary Barlow, yet leaves out what became of this scene in real life. After Williams and Barlow mended their relationship, the former rejoined Take That for a comeback tour.
Better Mandoes not make any mention of the Take That reunion…
This happened in 2010, 15 years after Williams first left the band, as the five released a studio album named “Progress.” This album became a massive success and led to a major stadium tour involving the five original members across the UK and Europe.Better Mandoes not make any mention of the Take That reunion, instead ending the film shortly after Williams and Barlow reconciled. The reason for this being left out is fairly simple to explain, however. Obviously,Better Manis a Robbie Williams biopic, not a Take That film. As such, focusing on the former is expected.
5Better Man Doesn’t Mention Robbie Williams' Marriage To Ayda Field
Williams Has Been Married Since 2010
Another big subplot ofBetter Manwas Robbie Williams' relationship with All Saints singer Nicole Appleton. The first half of the film includes the meeting between the two, their swift engagement, an abortion pushed onto the couple by a record label, and their subsequent split. Much like Williams' relationship with Gary Barlow and the other members of Take That,Better Manends with a few scenes that showcase the mending of the relationship between Williams and Appleton, despite the two not getting back together.
Beyond this,Better Manleaves out elements of Williams' further romantic life. In 2006,Williams began dating American actress Ayda Field. Eventually, the two were married in 2010. Since then, Williams and Field have had four children together and are still married in the present.Better Mandoes not outline Williams' meeting with Field, nor their subsequent marriage and family. This relationship was likely omitted from the film for pacing and narrative reasons, given that it came after the brunt of the dramatic aspects of Williams' life thatBetter Manfocuses on.
4Better Man’s Timeline Is Slightly Different From Robbie Williams' Real-Life
The Latter Elements Of Better Man’s Third Act Are Somewhat Jumbled
Although not an element thatBetter Manleaves out concerning Williams' life, the final act changes the timeline somewhat. The film holds quite a well-structured narrative, detailing Williams' rise to fame, his fall to substance abuse, and his rise once more. This is a structure that many music biopics follow, andBetter Manis no different. The film culminates Williams' “fall” section with his performance at the British music venue of Knebworth Festival, with his rehabilitation and performance at the Royal Albert Hall following to signify his overcoming his demons.
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In real life, this order of events was different.Williams' performance at Knebworth came in 2003, yet his Royal Albert Hall appearance was two years earlier, in 2001.Better Manflips this, presenting the latter event as coming after the former as a means of culminating the narrative arc of the film and its subject. This change was likely made, as alluded to, for purely narrative purposes with the performance at the Royal Albert Hall providing a solid emotional climax.
3Better Man’s Boat Scene Is Made Up
The Meeting Between Williams & Appleton Was Very Different In Real Life
One of the biggest moments in Williams' life, as presented byBetter Man, was his meeting with Nicole Appleton. Interestingly though, this scene was completely made up for the film.Better Manshows Williams and Appleton meeting on a brightly lit yacht before having them dance lovingly together as a montage of their ensuing relationship is shown. In reality, Williams and Appleton met in a much less glamorous and romantic setting when they both appeared on the British singing show,Top of the Pops.
This change was likely made to imbueBetter Manwith a stronger visual sense. The sequence on the boat is one of the most memorable in the film and also one of the most visually stunning, allowing Michael Gracey to add a musical number that rivals thebest song moments fromThe Greatest Showman. Without this scene,Better Manwould have been robbed of one of its more beautiful sequences, explaining why the change to Williams' meeting with Appleton was altered.
The Emotional Climax Of Better Man Was Fabricated
Perhaps one of the most disappointing changes inBetter Manironically comes as a result of the film’s most emotional moment. The ending of the story sees Williams performing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” with his father on stage at Royal Albert Hall, making for a beautiful bookend while completing the character arc of the film’s famous subject. With that in mind, it may come as a disappointment to many that this did not actually happen in real life.
Although Williams did perform “My Way” at the Royal Albert Hall, his father was not on stage with him. In fact, the real performance does not feature Williams paying tribute to his family members asBetter Mandepicts it, with the musician instead only providing a shout-out to his mother. As alluded to,this change was made to give the film a stronger emotional resonance.Better Man’s finale is exceptional and tear-jerking, primarily due to the performance of Williams and his father. Without this change,Better Man’s finale would not have had even close to the same emotional impact.
Better Man’s Depiction Of Williams' Recovery Is Simplified
Finally, the last major change made toBetter Man’s story is the depiction of Williams' recovery from substance abuse. The ending ofBetter Manshows Williams entering rehabilitation and undergoing a strict detox before performing at the Royal Albert Hall. In real life, Williams' rehabilitation was slightly different in that he attempted to overcome his addictions several times.
Williams actually attempted rehabilitation multiple times throughout his career, including as early as 1997 after leaving Take That and suffering setbacks in his solo career. InBetter Man, Williams' recovery only comes after his performance at Knebworth. As with several other changes, this one was likely made to giveBetter Mana tighter, more satisfying narrative. By building up Williams' addictions over the movie and paying off his recovery in the final act,Better Man’s narrative satisfaction was dramatically increased.
Better Man
Cast
Directed by Michael Gracey, Better Man explores the life and career of singer Robbie Williams through his own eyes.
