TBH, I don’t know how much of Better Man’s flopping is just “Americans don’t know who Robbie Williams is.” So the conceit probably strikes American audiences as a “mere” gimmick (even though the actual reviews are very good).
While my knowledge of music past 1989 or so is extremely poor, isn't it unusual in this era for an act to be HUGE in the UK, but have zero presence in the US?
I do think that by that time it was unusual for an act THAT BIG to not cross over. As an American I was certainly aware of the existence of Take That and Robbie Williams, but only in the context of other British media that I was consuming. Honestly I'm not quite sure why & how he was not bigger over here, it's not as if boy-band stars were disliked.
There's a bit in the movie where Williams seduces a member of All Saints just as they score a number one hit. All Saints, a huge girl band in England, also made an effort to break into the American marketplace, I think that aforementioned hit charted in the US but that was it. Still, All Saints showing up in the movie is like one music biopic slamming into another. I think it's one of the movie's more meta-commentaries that at that All Saints party where they're celebrating UK success, Williams shows up in a side room and meets Oasis. It plays a little like a "Justice League" for British acts of the nineties, while also acknowledging "look at these people being excited they're huge in England, and then bumping into OASIS."
This will find success on streaming. It's actually good, and people will tune in out of curiosity only to find out they are entertained.
However, I can't get past the extent of the self pitying and blaming of others in the first part. My bandmates hated me for no reason? No, you're a jerk. My father was born into terrible abusive circumstances. He had depression and deep trauma. However he always said it's a reason for things but never an excuse. There are times where I feel he uses this as an excuse but wraps it up in an "I hate myself too" sheen that feels insincere due to his portrayal of everyone else as evil bulllies.
TBH, I don’t know how much of Better Man’s flopping is just “Americans don’t know who Robbie Williams is.” So the conceit probably strikes American audiences as a “mere” gimmick (even though the actual reviews are very good).
Apparently, it only made £4.7 million in the UK, which is odd considering how huge he is over there.
Every comment section inevitably devolves into British people trying to convince Americans that Robbie Williams is really massive, actually.
While my knowledge of music past 1989 or so is extremely poor, isn't it unusual in this era for an act to be HUGE in the UK, but have zero presence in the US?
I do think that by that time it was unusual for an act THAT BIG to not cross over. As an American I was certainly aware of the existence of Take That and Robbie Williams, but only in the context of other British media that I was consuming. Honestly I'm not quite sure why & how he was not bigger over here, it's not as if boy-band stars were disliked.
There's a bit in the movie where Williams seduces a member of All Saints just as they score a number one hit. All Saints, a huge girl band in England, also made an effort to break into the American marketplace, I think that aforementioned hit charted in the US but that was it. Still, All Saints showing up in the movie is like one music biopic slamming into another. I think it's one of the movie's more meta-commentaries that at that All Saints party where they're celebrating UK success, Williams shows up in a side room and meets Oasis. It plays a little like a "Justice League" for British acts of the nineties, while also acknowledging "look at these people being excited they're huge in England, and then bumping into OASIS."
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
This will find success on streaming. It's actually good, and people will tune in out of curiosity only to find out they are entertained.
However, I can't get past the extent of the self pitying and blaming of others in the first part. My bandmates hated me for no reason? No, you're a jerk. My father was born into terrible abusive circumstances. He had depression and deep trauma. However he always said it's a reason for things but never an excuse. There are times where I feel he uses this as an excuse but wraps it up in an "I hate myself too" sheen that feels insincere due to his portrayal of everyone else as evil bulllies.