Written by Simon Gleeson And Oliver Cole And Michael Gracey
Directed by Michael Tracey
Robbie Williams: "Fame is a powerful aphrodisiac. It means even ugly people can get laid."
2024 was something of an odd year for musical biopics and while a certain one that came out around the same time as this might be getting award love, what about this one?
Robbie Williams has always been a popstar that's had an audience. He was the lovable cheeky chap from Take That who had that extra It factor his band mates didn't necessarily have and he seemed to appeal to every demographic without even trying. That's something that a lot of male popstars, especially today cannot boast about.
He's also had something of a tumultuous personal life and those tend to be the things these music biopics really thrive on, for better or worse. What set this apart from the usual biopics though was the fact that he was being played by a CGI chimpanzee, voiced by both Williams and actor Jonno Davies.
It's a wild choice and one I'm not entirely sure worked but it certainly kept my attention during the two hour plus movie. We go through Robbie's childhood with a father, Pete Conway (Steve Pemberton) who flounced in and out of Robbie to a more supportive family unit with his mother, Janet (Kate Mulvany) and grandmother, Betty (Alison Steadman). The latter in particular was excellent here.
Of course we also get to see Robbie audition for the boyband tha would change his life and meet fellow bandmates Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance), Mark Owen (Jesse Hyde), Howard Donald (Liam Head) and Jason Orange (Chase Vollenweider) along with their manager, Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman).
Being in a boyband only worked for so long and then there was the solo career. The movie was clever in how it used some of Robbie's biggest hits during key moments and there's some exploration into his working relationship with songwriter Guy Chambers (Tom Budge), rivalry with Oasis as well as his relationship with All Saints singer, Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno).
Yeah, the movie did examine the highs and lows of Williams life and career with the final few minutes ending the movie on a rather poignant note as Robbie did a duet of My Way with his father. It's a nice way to actually end this particular movie.
- The movie was mostly shot in Australia along with some Albert Hall filming for the recreation of the last scene.
- US audiences can see this movie from January 10th.
- Standout music: The way songs like Angels, Rock DJ, She's The One and Let Me Entertain You are done well. Forbidden Road was also exclusive for this movie.
- Chronology: It started in the 1980s in Stoke On Trent, covering the 1990s and 2000 with the defining moments of Robbie's career.
Better Man definitely got points for it's oddball approach to the musical biopic. I'm not sure I would've had a CGI chimpanzee but it kind of works for the most part I guess. Overall I liked it.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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