‘Better Man’ movie review: Robbie Williams’ musical biopic is eccentric but earnest in its ‘monkey’ business
Michael Gracey’s visually stunning film features Robbie Williams as a CGI monkey, but this is no mere gimmick; this audacious and unconventional musical stays true to the human element at its core
(Originally published in The Hindu on November 26, 2024)
I am sceptical if a more banana (no pun intended, seriously) of a biopic could arrive this festival season than Better Man, which is The Greatest Showman-maker Michael Gracey’s captivating film on the life of British pop star Robbie Williams.
Let’s get this underway first: Better Man isn’t that trailblazing film that tells you the answers to the universe’s mysteries. At its chassis, this adrenaline-pumping musical biopic only tells an all too familiar story of an unruly artist and his cocaine-fuelled slides in and out of self-apathy, addiction, heartbreak, fame, and mountains of insecurities.
But then what elevated Better Man into one of the most fun experiences on the opening night of the 55th International Film Festival of India was this: it’s an all-out musical with wonderfully choreographed and pristine-looking set-pieces. Secondly, Gracey exhibits extraordinary control over a narrative that moves in and out of reality and fantasy. And, as you would have guessed, the central character is a CGI-generated monkey, voiced by Williams and Jonno Davies, and fully enacted for motion capture by Davies.
All this monkeying around seemed like a mere gimmick from the promos of Better Man, but then this distinctive feature of the biopic is also its most daring endeavour. Gracey has taken seed of the idea, as he says in a message before the screening, from how Williams grew up looking at himself as a less evolved human being. Better Man doesn’t treat this as a joke but uses it to spotlight the humour and irony in everything around Williams.
Thanks to the voice acting and good CGI magic that captures nuanced expressions and body movements, in mere minutes into the film, yours truly suspended the fact that this was a monkey. If anything, that only….
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