Better Man

I admit that I was skeptical about Better Man before it ever came out. It mostly had to do with its central premise: it's a jukebox musical biopic of Robbie Williams where he's played by a CGI chimpanzee. Its gimmick made sense, however, once I realized why it took that approach. Let me try to explain.

Jonno Davies dons a mo-cap suit to portray and voice Robbie the Chimp. Meanwhile, Williams himself narrates the film, while he and Adam Tucker sing his songs (I can't tell them apart). According to Robbie the Narrator, he always saw himself as "less evolved" than everyone else, which explains this gimmick. That's enough to get you going. And it's hardly the reason why its Visual Effects Team is guaranteed an Oscar slot in less than a week!

Anyway, we're formally introduced to Robbie as a lad (Asmara Feik doing mo-cap, Carter J. Murphy doing vocals) in 1982 Stoke-on-Trent. He's not popular with his peers, but his "nan" Betty (Allison Steadman) and mom Janet (Kate Mulvaney) think he's special. His dad, Peter (Steve Pemberton), leaves the family to try to become the next Sinatra, which damages Robbie's self-esteem. Years later, Robbie becomes a superstar when he earns a spot on the pop group Take That. 

A few years later, Robbie is addicted to fame and drugs, which gets him kicked out of the band. He soon falls for Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) of fellow pop group All Saints, but his ego gets in the way. His addictions also exasperate his crippled self-esteem, which manifests with some creepy hallucinations. How creepy? He sees himself - multiple versions of himself - in the audience, taunting him. He soon commits to becoming a better man after a particularly disturbing concert.

Director Michael Gracey, in his first film since The Greatest Showman, co-wrote the film with Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. It doesn't take much to get used to its oft-kilter gimmick because Robbie the Chimp feels that real. Early on, young Robbie recovers from a blunder during a school production of The Pirates of Penzance with gusto, only to get brought back down when he realizes Peter isn't there. It's just a preview of the emotional highs and lows you'll experience over 135 minutes. Later on, Robbie the Narrator sums up his feelings towards his former manager, Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman), in a hilarious bait-and-switch. The best acted - and best written - moment comes when Betty inadvertently reveals her being diagnosed with dementia.

What else does the film have besides an impressively rendered ape? An exciting soundtrack, of course! The biggest highlight is easily Rock DJ, in which Robbie and his Take That bandmates dance around Regent Street in a long take complete with multiple costume changes! The choreography, cinematography, arrangement, and editing for that sequence is nothing less than outstanding. If you need one reason for its Oscar nomination, then this is it right here. It could have gotten another Oscar nomination for its original end credit song, Forbidden Road, which makes for a nice listen. Unfortunately, it's been disqualified because The Academy thought it sounded too similar to I Got a Name. I can see their point, for a bit.

It's not afraid to show the downsides of Robbie being a "cheeky monkey." When Robbie and Nicole fall in love, it's during an endearing sequence set to a duet, She's The One. But when Robbie's ego runs wild, she understandably breaks up with him. He also pushes away several potential collaborators, particularly Take That bandmate Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance) and Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher (Leo Harvey-Elledge). As a superstar, his bad boy kayfabe is entertaining; as a person, it's insufferable. He even realizes as much with his depression, which culminates in him fighting his demons at Knebworth. It's quite nice to see him eventually reconcile with his acquaintances, even if it was hard to keep track of a few of them.

And what about his family? To start with, Betty and Janet are both delightful. You can especially sympathize with Janet when Robbie's crowding fans become too much for her. Betty, meanwhile, makes for a warm presence even after she eventually dies. Even Robbie watching TV at her grave is quite endearing. Steve, meanwhile, supports Robbie the superstar to the point that he forgets Robbie, his son. He does it when Robbie is a boy, and when Robbie is a man, this contributes to Robbie's unnerving breakdown at Knebworth. Robbie calling out Steve for his neglect is well-done, while their ultimate reconciliation is kind of nice. 

Robbie Williams apparently doesn't have much of a fanbase in America, which is partially why Better Man is sinking at the box-office. Don't let the unusual gimmick further deter you. Just step right in and you'll be entertained by its great soundtrack and compelling life story. You'll be amazed as its bug becomes a feature and then forget there was even a gimmick in the first place. I guarantee you won't forget Rock DJ anytime soon. But it might not be long before it's forced to Rock (DJ!) out of theatres. So, see it soon.

That's it for now.