Better Man
Wacky musical biopic about the rise, dramatic fall and extraordinary comeback of British pop star Robbie Williams. With one bizarre but audacious twist: Williams is portrayed by a chimpanzee.
‘Let me entertain you’, Robbie Williams famously sang. From boy band euphoria to solo stadium tours, the UK pop star has lived large, loud, and right on the edge. No mere music biopic could do his highs and lows justice. And so Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) hit on an audacious, dazzling approach. Gather round and witness the life of Robbie Williams unfold in a rather unorthodox way, to say the least.
Gracey draws on his substantial background in visual effects and signature images for pop videos, weaving those skills through propulsive storytelling. Better Man begins with young Williams watching his father’s dreams of music stardom swirl around like dust in their cramped sitting room. He absorbs his father’s ambitions – and his crippling self-doubt – but the boy has talent. Before long, he has joined teen idols Take That and they stomp up the charts. But money and fame bring more doubt, and Williams learns the corrosive art of self-sabotage.
With its vibrant music, state-of-the-art visuals, and brilliant ‘casting’ conceit, there may be no movie experience more singular, disarming, and downright entertaining this year than Better Man. And, as a portrait of a tortured, talented star, it’s surprisingly moving. (source: www.tiff.net)