Better Man is a biopic about Robbie Williams’s life and career. It was released in limited release around Christmas and went nationwide this weekend.
Given the track record of some of the biopics of iconic musicians released over the last several years, I thought the same would be said for Better Man. For the most part, I was wrong, but I’m glad to be.
For the uninitiated, Robbie Williams has a couple of hits here in the U.S., such as “Millennium ” and “Rock DJ,” but he’s an even bigger star in his native England. His concert at Knebworth drew a record 375,000 people, and he’s sold 75 million albums worldwide.
Now Williams gets to tell his story on Better Man, a movie that blows apart the conventions in terms of the execution of its subject matter while giving us an encompassing look at a man handled with vitality, razor-sharp yet shocking humor, and moments of poignancy that feel raw and excruciating.
The first thing that audiences might find unusual (and that’s an understatement) is how Williams chooses to portray himself: in the form of a CG chimpanzee. Yes, you read that right: Robbie Williams is a CG chimpanzee. Williams chose this because he says he always felt less evolved than other people.
The movie begins with Williams’s childhood, during which time he is bullied and misunderstood by other kids, but that’s the least of his problems. At home, he has a turbulent relationship with his father, Peter (Steve Pemberton), but this is counterbalanced by his relationship with his loving, supportive grandmother (Alison Steadman).
Williams secures a spot with the British boy band Take That, and after the group takes off, his ego explodes, leading to conflicts with the rest. This then leads to a series of hallucinations in which Williams wrestles with his inner demons about his talent and his self-worth.
Eventually, Williams finds love with All Saints member Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno), but his demons of drug abuse and mental health continue to escalate and threaten their relationship.
When Williams is the CG chimp, it’s motion capture, with another actor (Jonno Davies) delivering the physical performance and sharing voice work with Williams himself. The results are ones that Mufasa: The Lion King had trouble with. Better Man doesn’t try to go for the uncanny valley effect, and the chimp is much more expressive, with real clarity and detail in every scene.
The movie was directed by Michael Gracey, who made The Greatest Showman. When the musical sequences dominate, the screen vibrates with infectious energy, such as when “Rock DJ” plays or when Williams is doing his Knebworth concert. The movie turns into something reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, with Williams fighting off clones of his previous self throughout the years.
I know all of this sounds insane, and you’d be right. This biopic will only be for those who are fans of Williams’ music, but apart from the technical achievements, what’s so special about the movie is how much care it pours into showing an artist who hits roadblock after roadblock and is willing to look at himself in the mirror and inevitably admit his flaws.
Yes, the movie is unapologetic about showing Williams hitting rock bottom, but it also has a lot of edgy humor that I really appreciated and that carries the movie right up to its last line of dialogue.
I thought Rocketman from a few years ago was a leap forward in the biopic genre, but Better Man has found a way to take the formulaic elements and transcend them in a fresh and exuberant way.
Better Man is no monkey business.
Grade: A
(Rated R for drug use, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some violent content.)
