2024 has seen several musical biopics that have included Bob Marley ‘One Love’, Amy Winehouse ‘Back to Black’ both of which were pretty much bullet point biopics with actors playing the artist. So it must have been an intriguing meeting that director Michael Gracey had with the studios about his Robbie Williams biopic, ‘Better Man’ when he was asked who he had in mind to play the Robster and he replied, ‘A monkey’. Presumably followed by the studio heads calling for security to have been thrown out but it’s inspired creativity from Gracey who has previously given us ‘The Greatest Showman’ and with a background in visual effects that sees actor Jonno Davies don the mo-cap suit, pushed through the computers and emerging as a singing monkey that’s front and centre of the film
Williams story is well known, at least in the UK and the recent four part Netflix documentary that covered his rise and fall and rise again. He’s always been open about his foibles – the drug abuse, the alcoholism which other biopics often swerve. There’s none of that here. ‘Better Man’ gallops through his life – the boy always chosen last for football, the errant father chasing his own showbiz dream yet Williams soon finds that its confidence as much as anything that will drive him to the top (along with some powerhouse tunes). Then of course there’s the Take That years and the animosity to Gary Barlow (Williams frequently expletive strewn and often funny voiceover introduces Barlow as a, ‘f**king twat’ and he’s equally withering about the band’s manager). From there it’s his desire to write his own songs, his descent into drink and drugs hell, his infidelity to girlfriend Nicole Appleton, his failings as a friend and the nightmare he became to work with although not all of this can be put down to his drink and drug addiction but that’s never really explored. And yet as ever Robbie Williams shines through and you can’t help but take a shine to him.
Michael Gracey has put together an engaging musical biopic taking in several of Williams hits with a stylish flourish – a elongated one shot (albeit digitally sewn together) of ‘Rock DJ’ swirling through London’s Regent Street, ‘Let me entertain You’ performed to a huge audience that becomes a furious riot as he battles the demons he perceives to be in the audience and of course ‘Angels’ that plays touchingly as the death of his beloved grandmother. You might not be a fan of Williams but Better Man is brilliantly entertaining.
related feature : Beatles 64 – We talk Fab 4 & Martin Scorsese with director David Tedeschi & producer Margaret Bodde
related feature : ‘Robbie Williams’ – Netflix documentary series review
Here’s the Better Man trailer…..
