Better Man
In 1982 in Stoke-on-Trent, bullied Robbie Williams' (Jonno Davies, "Kingsman: The Secret Service," Robbie Williams narration and adult voice) nan Betty (Alison Steadman, "Life Is Sweet," "Topsy Turvy") told him he had 'it,' something he demonstrated when his quip rescued his disastrous entrance onto the stage during a school production of 'The Pirates of Penzance." Raised by a dad, Peter (Steve Pemberton), who worshipped at the altar of Sammy, Frank and Dino, Robbie sang from a young age, and his talent combined with his cockiness won his audition with Nigel Martin Smith (Damon Herriman, "The Nightingale") for the boy band that would become known as Take That. But Robbie chafed when Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance) was given the spotlight and went into a spiral of self destruction until he finally realized he had to become a "Better Man."
Laura's Review: B
Cowriter (with Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole)/director Michael Gracey ("The Greatest Showman") made the audacious decision to represent his protagonist as a CGI chimp amidst a human cast and while it may seem odd at first, it works on multiple levels. Not only does the chimp represent Williams' cheeky personality, status as a performer and eventual cocaine addition, but the anthropomorphic effect also lends the character much needed sympathy because Robbie Williams is prone to self pity. Sure, we see Robbie picked on as a kid, his dad vanishes for a while and he doesn't get star billing in the boy band he gets cast in, but others have overcome a lot more without carrying this big of a chip on their shoulder.
Robbie's on top of the world for a while, but Nigel was prophetic when he told the teenaged lads that made up his new group to 'look around the table - in five years we're all going to hate each other.' Right off the bat Williams will tell us that 'Gary sang like an angel, but he danced like a twat,' and Williams gets fed up pretty quickly dancing behind the lead singer, challenging him for control of the mike during concerts. When Robbie requests a lyric credit, Gary tells him he's worthless. His attempt at lead vocals gets him laughed out of the recording studio, while Gary's subsequent take receives praise across the board. Then Robbie's dad reappears, thrilling the young pop star, but it turns out Peter's only trying to impress a much younger woman with his connection to his famous son. Robbie slides into drink, drugs and reckless driving, then splits from the band.
Both the band Take That, which disappeared, then came roaring back without Williams, and Williams himself, are little known in the U.S., but that doesn't really matter when watching this rather narratively typical rise and fall and rise again tale. What's great here is Gracey's direction, whose background in music video combined with the talents of choreographer Ashley Wallen make for some truly spectacular song and dance set pieces, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' a possible influence. 'Rock DJ' finds Robbie and dancers moving down Regent Street, making several costume changes along the way. 'She's the One' is a golden-hued romantic shipboard number, Robbie wooing Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) (who'll later be stolen away by his idol Liam Gallagher (Leo Harvey-Elledge). Dumped and drunk waiting to go on stage for Top of the Pops, Robbie will get the call that his beloved nan has died, setting up a funeral montage to 'Angels,' a song whose vocals resemble Elton John's. The melding of the motion-captured chimp amidst reality is also technically top notch, on the level of the recent "Planet of the Apes" movies.
Robbie, who's been depicted driving an old clunker while Barlow lives in a country mansion, comes back bigger than ever, staging a record-breaking concert at Knebworth for an audience of 375,000. Here 'Let Me Entertain You' is turned into hand to hand combat, another of Gracey's creative visualizations, but as Robbie makes up with everyone from Gary to his dad, who he calls up onto the stage for a duet, the film overstays its welcome. Still, for a movie about a pop star most in the U.S. have never heard of who's depicted as a chimp, "Better Man" turns out to be more ambitious, cinematic and artsy than expected, a big armful of show biz razzle dazzle.
Paramount Pictures released "Better Man" in select theaters on 12/25/24, expanding on 1/10/25 and wide on 1/17/25.
