‘Better Man’ review: Congratulations to Robbie Williams, the monkey of all seasons

Thank you Robbie Williams. The English singer-songwriter who went from boy band to tabloid-focused record-breaking solo artist has delivered yet again. A Better Person biopic that weaves together hits from throughout his career — including “Angels,” “She’s the One,” and “Rock DJ” — to reinforce the singer’s highs and lows. But Williams – in collaboration with writer/director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Show Ever) – has done something brave in the area of ​​musical biopic, which often proves painfully clichéed, panderingor dullness. He has become a real dancing monkey.

A Better Person tells the story of Williams’ tough youth in Stoke-on-Trent, his years as a bad boy in the British band That That, his stories of drug abuse, a tough love with a pop star, celebrity feuds, and family dramas, all while being shown. singer as a CGI monkey in the vein of Planet of the Apes restarts. At first, it may seem like a cheeky gimmick (or a cheeky monkey) intended to engage the audience with unusual choices. But Gracey expands the concept, including working with the cast and renowned VFX studio Wētā FX to create a uniquely moving portrait of the struggling artist.

While the popularity of Williams’ story falls into a familiar pattern, allowing himself to be presented as a real animal brings a fresh perspective and a delightful blend of humor and vulnerability. This results in the best music biopic since Elton John’s rise to fame Rocketman (notably omitted by Gracey).

Who plays Robbie Williams in the A Better Person?

This is a difficult question. Williams lends his voice to the narration, whose words are written by Gracey, Oliver Cole, and Simon Gleeson in interviews with the sensational singer. However, in the flesh, English actor Jonno Davies (They are hunters) takes the role, combining a physical form that is part hulking chimpanzee and part moving sex symbol. While everyone around him was on set in period costume, Davies wore a motion capture suit with a small camera placed above his face to track his speech. From there, Wētā created Robbie the chimpanzee using Williams’ eyes (and various hairstyles) as inspiration. And the final touch: a voice mixing performance by Davies and Williams. All of this comes together seamlessly in a powerful performance that is one of the year’s most surprising yet exciting performances.

In this story, Williams introduces himself with a harsh voice and a lot of insults directed at him. Davies picks up the rough exterior with a macho send-up, but tempers it with goofball bravado with raucous outbursts, youthful touches, and comical self-indulgence. But more than funny, A Better Person it’s endearing because it adopts a warts-and-all approach that doesn’t shy away from William’s darkest moments.

You might think that scenes about drug use, infidelity, and self-harm would be cut short by this hairy plot. But at the end of the first sequence – when young Robert (Jack Sherran) has a rough day on the playground – the chimp device makes sense. The animation created by Wētā is evocative, the work behind it is so intense, that it just works, not only in dramatic moments, but also in really popular musical numbers.

A Better Person full of song and dance.

Monkey Robbie Williams (Jonno Davies) dances with Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) in “The Better Man.”
Credit: Paramount Pictures

Like this RocketmanGracey uses songs to match the time. For example, Take That’s rise to fame is underpinned by “Rock DJ,” which is Williams’s solo hit. This is not a complication but a feature, as both films focus on the emotion of their story over hard facts. This freedom to play Williams’ hits as they are heard in the story (as opposed to when they arrive in his life) allows for a compelling sequence of joy, sorrow, and romance.

In the case of “Rock DJ,” the new band celebrates its record by dancing together in many places, from luxury stores and double-decker buses to the streets of Piccadilly Circus, gathering many revelers along the way for a whole year. London seems to be joining their party. Though this is perhaps the musical’s most ambitious sequence, among the most touching is “She’s the One,” in which Robbie the chimpanzee performs a heartfelt duet while dancing a Golden Era ballroom number and drenching his female partner (Raechelle Banno ) with variable eloquence. – you should. Yes, even when the leading man is a monkey.

However, not all songs are festive. And it is in times of concern that Better Man’s monkey gambit is very effective.

Robbie Williams’ self-destruction was made real.

Robbie Williams shares his life story in “Better Man” from Paramount Pictures
Credit: Paramount Pictures

Embracing the visual language of music videos (of which Grace has directed many), A Better Person it combines realistic settings with surreal situations. So a car crash in the rain results in a nightmare sequence in which Robbie the monkey is submerged under water, then swarmed by fans kicking him for souvenirs and paparazzi whose blinding cameras make his struggle visible above. More traditional moments are in the mix, like Williams’ magazine cover shoot and music videos to frame her growing fame. But what could be a series of unexpected or popular concert scenes is given new blood by bringing more chimp Robbies into the frame.

When he looks at the crowd roaring in thanks, he sees himself mocking in the midst of it. At first, one or two of his faces looked at him. But as Robbie’s self-doubt grows, the self-absorbed, self-deprecating loser, cheater, unlovable, multiplies and becomes an army. Sharp cuts from a grinning dancing chimp to snarling doppelgängers, all reminders of disappointment or failure, strike like gasps. Even when the world seems to be at his feet, Robbie runs away. And this creates an internal war made external with the brutal war scene it provides Planet of the Apes a run for its money.

This sad use of CGI animation is also rounded out by a terrific supporting cast. Whether it’s Steve Pemberton as William’s murderous father or Alison Steadman as his devout grandmother, the actors bring an incredible authenticity that makes this family, broken as it is, feel painfully real. This is pretty impressive considering they were playing opposite an actor wearing all that mo-cap gear. Together, the cast and crew create a beautiful look at life in world-class entertainment whose arrogance and vulnerability are shown in equal measure. The result is a film that feels incredibly beautiful, poignant, deeply human, and tragically relatable. That’s right Billy Elliot meets Rocketman meets Planet of the Apes. And there is so much more.

Rich in powerful emotions, soul-stirring musical numbers, bold performances, and warm compassion, A Better Person above the rocks. It dominates.

A Better Person now playing in limited release.

UPDATES: Dec. 19, 2024, 5:00 pm EST “Better Man” was updated on its Canadian Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in this article, published on September 11, 2024. The article has been updated with the latest viewing information.