‘Better Man’ Review

Stars: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Raechelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvany, Frazer Hadfield, Damon Herriman, Tom Budge, Jake Simmance, Liam Head, Leo Harvey-Elledge, Chris Gun, Chase Vollenweider, Jesse Hyde | Written by Michael Gracey, Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole | Directed by Michael Gracey

It’s an understatement to call Robbie Williams a big star. Finding fame at age 15 as a member of Take That, the singer departed from the band to launch a solo career, which resulted in a record number of Brit Awards, a Guinness World Record, and the largest British record deal in history. Considering he would become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, a biopic seemed inevitable, hence we have Better Man.

Although, there is one notable way that this film stands apart from other biopics, as Williams is portrayed entirely on-screen by a CGI monkey (performed in motion-capture by Jonno Davies and voiced by Williams). While this sounds like a silly idea which would appear within a parody of the moviemaking business, the astounding thing is how co-writer/director Michael Gracey makes it work so well.

Growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, Robbie dreamed of being a singer-songwriter from a young age. Abandoned at a young age by his father, Peter (Steve Pemberton), Williams is left with two things; a love for Frank Sinatra, and the belief that if he isn’t born with great singing talent, he’s “a nobody.” As he becomes a sensation through the ‘90s as a member of Take That, his substance abuse and clashes with bandmates lead him to depart from the band. While his solo career may continue rising, he remains in the grip of addictions and his own personal demons.

Music biopics can be a frustrating experience, as many are guilty of sanding down the edges for a sanitized look at the subject to fit a corporate mould (here’s looking at you, Bohemian Rhapsody). Better Man thankfully gives its subject matter the Rocketman treatment, offering a warts-and-all look at the star in ways that you imagine were delivered with middle fingers aimed at nervous studio executives.

It’s fun to have Williams’ voice-over describe himself and other real-life subjects in unfiltered and sweary ways, yet it is not just expletives which retain this film’s edge. What has been brought alive feels drawn from an utterly raw place, to offer an unflinching portrayal of somebody who got famous far too young.

Key to this is the central role, as Williams’ voiceover and Davies’ physicality phenomenally capture a figure who employs a cocksure swagger to mask how vulnerable he truly is. Seeing himself as an animal and a performing monkey, Williams struggles with his inner demons and finds that the biggest thing fame has given him is self-hatred, depression, and addiction.

It’s been seven-years since Gracey made his directorial debut with The Greatest Showman, a film whose greatest impact was its songs. For his second narrative feature, Gracey has stepped his directing up a notch as he impressively brings alive Williams’ hits to magnificently crafted musical numbers. The most discussed one is a joyous dance sequence around Picadilly Circus set to Rock DJ, but there are plenty of moments deserving the same love. Come Undone offers a stunning depiction of self-destructiveness through a painful time in Williams’ career, while a brawl set to Let Me Entertain You is breathtakingly realized. For my money, the strongest sequence may be She’s The One, a touchingly romantic yet heart-shattering journey through the star’s romance with All Saints singer, Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno).

While there are many ways this film stands out from the pack, there are often moments when it returns to follow standard biopic tropes. One wishes that it could have been a bit more brave in these instances, particularly involving the resolution to Williams’ relationship with his father, although it cannot be denied how emotional this story becomes. Better Man is an impressively crafted biopic that is worth going bananas for.

**** 4/5

Better Man is in cinemas now.