Plot
In 1982, in Stoke-on-Trent, eight-year-old Robert Williams is shamed as a loser in the playground. At home, he eagerly emulates his father, Peter, a police constable and aspiring entertainer who idolises Frank Sinatra. Robert inherits his father's fear of being a "nobody", but Betty, his doting grandmother, encourages Robert to be true to himself.
In a youth production of The Pirates of Penzance, Robert's showboating overcomes his stage fright and wins over the audience, but, shaken by impostor syndrome, he imagines an inner critic who vilifies and threatens himself. Skipping Robert's play, Peter wins a talent show prize, emboldening him to walk out on his family and change his name to pursue stardom. Forced to move out with his mother, Robert salvages the comb that his father used to teach him a preshow ritual ("Feel").
In 1990, Robert writes amateur lyrics and single-mindedly chases fame, in contrast to his friend Nate, who turns down a talent tryout. Robert enters a boy band audition in Manchester, failing to impress manager Nigel Martin-Smith with his outdated traditional pop, but puts on a swagger which earns him a place. Elated when Peter reconnects with him, Robert is further inspired by watching his father perform. He meets his new bandmates in Take That, including Gary Barlow, already a prodigious child entertainer and songwriter. Martin-Smith dubs him "Robbie", prompting him to invent a celebrity persona, despite Betty's disapproval.
Robbie finds acceptance and liberation during the band's unprofitable stint playing gay clubs. They achieve overwhelming success with teenage girl audiences, even as Robbie's inner critics return, growing in number and malevolence ("I Found Heaven"). This newfound fandom earns the band a record deal in London, and they raucously parade through Regent Street in celebration ("Rock DJ"). Robbie rebels against being subordinate to Gary, but cannot measure up to him in talent—even in Peter's eyes—and falls into depression. After Gary replaces Robbie on lead vocals for "Relight My Fire", Robbie brazenly steals back the lead vocals during Take That’s biggest concert ever in Manchester during the Pop Tour (1994-95), despite nearly sabotaging the show with his substance abuse. He is finally fired in July 1995 for his volatility and insubordination, and becomes blamed for the band's subsequent breakup. He resolves to start a solo career in revenge ("Come Undone").
Robbie kindles a romance with fellow celebrity singer Nicole Appleton of All Saints; they become engaged and plan parenthood, but Nicole relents to her manager's demand to terminate the pregnancy ("She's the One"), leading to bitter recrimination from Robbie. While Nicole celebrates "Never Ever" charting at number one, Robbie leaves to rub elbows with his idols, the Gallagher brothers, who disdainfully boast of headlining the Knebworth Festival as their crowning achievement.
Producer and songwriter Guy Chambers dismisses Robbie's superficial pop songs, but discovers the potential in his lyrics inspired by personal loss ("Something Beautiful"). Hellbent on playing Knebworth, Robbie launches his solo career, embarking on frenetic touring alongside rampant philandering and alcohol and cocaine use.
His fame skyrocketing, Robbie duets with Tom Jones at the Brit Awards ("Land of 1000 Dances") and is finally booked to headline Knebworth, but fear and addiction drive him to emotional lows. His wilful downward spiral and infidelity alienate Nicole, who breaks off their engagement. Moments before a Top of the Pops performance, Robbie learns that he has missed Betty's passing, after her succumbing to dementia ("Angels"). Trashing his own mansion in grief, Robbie falls out with Nate, who has long put up with an unreciprocated friendship. Having learned that Peter only reconnected with him at Betty's request, Robbie denounces his father (a small-time entertainer and backstage guest) as an opportunist and asks him: "You’ve always been there for 'Robbie' Williams. Why couldn't you just be there for Robert?"
On stage at Knebworth before a record-breaking audience, Robbie's self-loathing manifests as a bloodthirsty mob of inner critics, taking the forms of his past selves, young and old. As the imaginary mob swarms the stage, he massacres them in an all-out melee, leaving only a mirror image of his present-day self, whom he attempts to kill by slitting his own wrist ("Let Me Entertain You").
Suddenly alone on a frozen lake, Robbie is stopped by a ray of sunlight evoking Betty's memory. Robbie enters rehab, admitting, at a group session, that becoming famous has stunted his maturity and growth. He apologises to Gary, amicably parts with Nicole, reconciles with Nate, and moves past his grief at Betty's grave ("Better Man"). At the Royal Albert Hall, Robbie invites his father onstage in a duet of Sinatra's "My Way", in mutual respect and admiration. Robbie's past selves look on, no longer in criticism but approval, as he concludes the song by honoring Betty.
