A fantastical celebration of Williams’ life story through his discography.
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We’ve seen many a musical biography grace the silver screens over the years but none have been as out-of-this-world as Michael Gracey’s latest directorial effort, Better Man. This is (in a large part) thanks to its bold subject matter, British pop singer Robbie Williams.
There’s no denying Williams a colourful individual deserving of a feature film of his life story but its the interesting creative decision of presenting himself as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee that elevates his status – and this otherwise formulated genre – to greater heights. Performed by Jonno Davies using motion capture, and voiced by both Williams and Davies, the film also stars Steve Pemberton, Kate Mulvany, Alison Steadman, and Damon Herriman.
As most biographies go, Better Man tells the life story of Williams – growing up in Stoke-on-Trent in the 80s to finding success with Take That and his eventual solo career – touching on every significant individual that helped shape him into the man he is today. Borrowing from a discography that spans decades, Gracey integrates some of the singer’s greatest hits into musical moments that seamlessly carry the film along, effectively giving them a new purpose. They may defy logic at times but their reimagination is coherent. No, “Rock DJ” was not a Take That song but somehow it made sense seeing the rest of Williams’ former bandmates dance and sing along to the magnetic number that served as a pivotal sequence of the boyband’s rise to stardom.
Most of the musical sequences are so exquisitely dazzling but none more so than the romantic ballad “She’s The One”, reinvented as a duet with Nicole Appleton of pop group All Saints fame. If it wasn’t obvious this film is directed by the same man behind The Greatest Showman before, it is with this exact moment the director’s signature touch couldn’t be more apparent.
Otherworldly spectacles aside, the true succeeding factor of this film is Williams’ unabashed self-deprecation that allowed the world to see him as he sees himself – a performance monkey that feels less evolved than other people. The film never downplays his arrogance or behaviours that caused his downfalls, making its story progression of the singer's eventual turn into a better man all the more satisfying.
On the surface, Better Man feels like an extravagant escapism of a pop star’s tumultous life but the strong humanity beneath the CG animation will pull you back to reality. Tough game for future biographies to wow us now that we’ve seen celebrities reimagined as Legos and anthropomorphic animals.
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