Michael Gracey’s Better Man is a musical biography of one of the UK’s greatest yet most annoying pop stars, Robbie Williams. A couple of things here, I have no clue who Robbie Williams is and the part of Robbie Williams is played by a monkey…specifically a chimpanzee.
The movie opens with Robbie (Robbie Williams/Jonno Davies) as a little chimp, bad at football but precocious as hell. His father, Peter (Steve Pemberton), is a working-class man who dreams of singing for the masses like his idol, Frank Sinatra. When Peter entertains a bus of football fans, he never returns, leaving Robbie to fend for himself along with his mother and grandmother.
A slacker at school, Robbie tries out for the formation of a new boyband, Take That. Through a miracle, Robbie makes it into the band, and Take That becomes a massive hit. Like every other movie you’ve seen, a young, talented singer is thrust too soon into the spotlight…you guessed it, he falls into the temptation of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. As the band hits meteoric heights, Robbie is kicked out and is forced to go solo. Where he becomes an even bigger star—but at a price. Soon, drugs, alcohol, and self-doubt send Robbie spiraling downward.
Yes, I’m an American and know nothing about the worldwide sensation that is Robbie Williams. Sorry, it’s not my fault he never moved the needle in the States. That said, I absolutely loved Better Man. The story structure of Robbie’s life is just like every other rock star biopic I’ve ever seen, culminating in the greatest of them all: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
“…a young, talented singer is thrust too soon into the spotlight…falls into the temptation of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”
What sets Better Man apart from the crowd is the chimp gimmick, and it is a gimmick. At first, the film confesses that Williams felt like a monkey on stage. As the story rolls along, and images of Williams as a chimp appear in the audience at each concert, the gimmick takes shape and delivers a powerful message by the end.
What I appreciate most about Williams’s story and performance is his self-awareness of his public persona and how it shaped the flawed person he is today. He understands and embraces all his mistakes and imperfections. You’re watching a raw and honest tale.
Better Man is also loaded with the hits from Take That and Williams’ solo career, and it’s pretty clear America missed out. Williams reminds me of a drugged-out Michael Buble. There’s a darkness to this crooner. Directed by Michael Gracey from The Greatest Showman, the entire film feels surreal and grounded as music is a dominant force. Just as Take That becomes a worldwide hit, the boys do a music video number of “Rock DJ,” and this musical segment is the highlight of the film.
In the end, if you’re going to tell a story we’ve all heard before, do something unique. Better Man is unique, indeed. The chimp gimmick never gets tiresome; in the end, it plays out beautifully. Though different from The Greatest Showman, Better Man is an incredible movie musical that keeps your toes tapping.
"…reminds me of a drugged-out Michael Bublé."
