The film traces his journey from the youngest member of Take That, through his turbulent rise as a solo artist, to his record-breaking Knebworth concerts in 2003.
A still from Better men
Film: Better Man
Cast: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvany, Frazer Hadfield, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno
Director: Michael Gracey
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 136 min
Robbie Williams, who often described himself in interviews as feeling like a performing monkey, gets to be a simian in this biopic that charts his path from the youngest and brashest member of chart-topping boy band, Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist.
The narrative follows Robbie Williams' journey from childhood and onwards, towards superstardom, while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring. Director Michael Gracey’s film doesn’t spare any blushes while documenting Williams’ public antics and history of drug use and partying.
The Williams we see on screen is a computer creation, defining Robbie Williams' view of himself. In the opening seconds itself, Williams’ voice over asserts, “I want to show you how I really see myself”— and we behold an anthropomorphic monkey, rendered in CGI, jumping, dancing and prancing about singing songs and keeping the audience enthralled. Williams voices himself and lends his eyes to a simian’s face and body (actor Jonno Davies in a motion capture cum computer generation). The facial expressions are near perfect. Emotionally fraught scenes with his grandmother (Alison Steadman) and his unreliable father (Steve Pemberton) capture the drama of relationship stress quite effectively. It’s a crazy, gimmicky concept yet it works quite well.
The three-act narrative has the first section focusing on Williams’ rise to fame amidst the boy band quintet of Take That, with Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance), Howard Donald (Liam Head), Mark Owen (Jesse Hyde), and Jason Orange (Chase Vollenweider). The second act chronicles his solo superstardom and his rocky relationship with Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) of All Saints. The third section focuses on his three concerts at Knebworth in August 2003 before 125,000 people and the impact it has on his life thereafter.
Williams’ tongue-in-cheek approach to his own legend is the highlight here. Director Gracey keeps Williams view of himself in the central focus as he goes about outlining a career driven by behavioral excess. By showcasing a
monkey weeping while dressed in a space-age fat-sucking vacuum suit, this film shows us that Williams recognises the absurdity of his stardom woes.
Gracey, who found unprecedented success with ‘The Greatest Showman,’ makes the musical sequences here exhilarating. Choreographer Ashley Wallen aids him in defining the dance sequences with riotous color and movement. Gracey keeps his narrative finely balanced - never giving in to sensationalism. He creates wonderful sequences marking highs and lows in the singers life with recontextualised visuals. The remarkably fluid staging of ‘Come Undone’ and ‘Rock DJ’ are quite the mainstay here. ‘Rock DJ’ takes us through Take That’s meteoric rise, while featuring hundreds of dancers and the band, spinning from one costume change to another.
This is, of course, not a typical biopic - it couldn’t be with a simian in the lead. Williams’ forging of a musical identity, his feud with Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance), the falling in and out of love, and the clawing back to the limelight are portrayed with empathy. The sequence where Williams is shown battling his demons ( depicted in the form of intrusive-thought copies of himself), devolving into him running to booze, coke, and groupies, is quite effective.
Gracey’s energising style, the visible character flaws of the lead character, the fantastic staging of the musical numbers, and Robbie Williams' songs keep the movie interesting and engaging. The lively Simian at the centre of it all is the unforgettable part!
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