Review: ‘Better Man’: A Spectacle of Primal Proportions

If you’ve never heard of Robbie Williams, you’re not alone. This English singer is the subject of the musical biopic Better Man, directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman). Amidst the current slew of biopics, this film is instantly distinct, portraying its subject as a chimpanzee. Despite this potentially off-putting quirk, Better Man delivers the energetic and entertaining rise of an artist from childhood to stardom unlike any other film.

In the realm of all things musical biopic, Better Man nails every note. The plot progression—and for that matter, Robbie’s life as a musician—is unsurprising. We watch him grow increasingly famous, constantly striving for more attention, material goods, and drugs, at the expense of his self-identity and good heart. We watch his relationships with his friends decay, his family values diminish, and a focus on the unreliable reciprocation of support between Robbie and his father, who’s also a performer. All these themes are explored thoroughly and in substantial depth, many being supported by the film’s outstanding musical sequences. Each song so compellingly enhances the mood of the scene. During the booming “Rock DJ” number, a hundred-person dance sequence amid the stylish, bustling London streets, and exciting choreography makes us want to start dancing (or at the very least start foot-tapping along)—we feel exactly what it’s like for Robbie’s career to finally be launched into a swarm of chaos and celebrity frenzy. Later, we get a high-speed drug montage that’s both invigorating and energizing but whips us back to the sad reality of Robbie’s self-destruction.

On paper, it sounds pretty unserious to imagine these things all undertaken by a CGI chimp, but soon after the film starts, it’s easy to let go of this fact. The CGI is fantastic and does nothing to hinder the emotion of the character Robbie (voiced by Robbie Williams himself, created using motion capture performed by actor Jonno Davies). This creative choice, chosen by director Michael Gracey, is explained in an interview with The Independent, where he believes audiences will “feel more for an animal suffering than you do a human. . . there’s nothing glamorous about a monkey doing cocaine.” This statement holds true, seeing this cute, furry chimp we’ve watched grow up and the damage and depression he faces. It’s easy to feel numb to the tragedy of substance abuse, its commonality in society generally only increasing. But seeing it at the hands of a chimp feels like witnessing animal cruelty, which we can undoubtedly feel sad for.

As someone who’s never heard of Robbie Williams, I genuinely thought he might actually be a singing chimp. Even if audiences thought this too or (to a less oblivious extent) didn’t know anything about him, Better Man is an entertaining, rewatchable, sing-alongable biopic telling a well-rounded, sincere story of success and mistakes. For me, it was even a pleasure to go in blind, not knowing what Robbie’s career involved or what direction he’d go next. It’s a shame that much of the US audience doesn’t know who he is or care to risk watching it. Understandably so; it’s a gamble to spend money on a ticket to a 2-hour movie if you don’t get its premise. But to those that decide to give it a try, don’t be surprised if you end up becoming a Robbie Williams fan.

4/5 Stars