Better Man review – chimply irresistible

Ridiculously enjoyable Robbie Williams biopic with the bold gambit of having a CG-chimpanzee in the title role paying off handsomely.

If you had asked me at the top end of 2024 how excited I felt about seeing a biopic of Robbie Williams directed by the bloke who made The Greatest Showman, the answer would have been a swift “Not at all”. Now, as a fairly hodawful year draws to a close, I sit here with egg on my face, owing Michael Gracey an apology, because it turns out Better Man, the musical documenting the rise-and-fall-and-rise of British pop’s Cheekiest Chappy, is genuinely good. But in my defence, when this project was announced there was absolutely no mention of The Monkey. Because, unbeknownst to most prior to the film’s premiere, Robbie Williams would not be portrayed in his biopic by some fresh-faced Sylvia Young graduate vying for his first GQ profile. He would instead be played by a CGI chimpanzee.

This gimmick came out of a comment Williams once made about feeling like a performing monkey. It’s a stroke of genius, immediately removing any potential comparison between a young actor and the man himself while also allowing Williams to voice his own avatar, and opening up possibilities for the fantastical in a more outlandish way than Bryan Singer managed with Bohemian Rhapsody or Dexter Fletcher with Rocketman. Crucially, it works because it is taken seriously by the film; there are no jokes about it, no references to it, no reason given, and no other apes present. It shouldn’t work, but it does – which is perhaps the story of Williams’ career.

In the film’s opening, Williams refers to his performance style as ‘cabaret’, which is a helpful way to think about the framing of his biopic. Rather than a self-serious tale of artistic integrity and sacrifice, Gracey and Williams have crafted something affectionately self-deprecating and satirical. Better Man works because it is that rare biopic which acknowledges its inherent ridiculousness, poking fun not only at the star machine but Williams himself (who, regardless of your opinion of his music, has always been quite open about his shortcomings).

At the same time, there are some surprisingly weighty moments – Williams refers to his then-girlfriend Nicole Appleton being pressured to get an abortion by her record label in order to maintain her squeaky-clean popstar image, and there’s no shortage of debauchery – seeing a monkey do lines and get a handjob in a nightclub is quite something – positioned as seedy rather than aspirational. Most shocking is the culmination of the CGI gimmick: a hell-for-leather scene where hundreds of iterations of Monkey Robbie face off in an epic battle royale.

It is that rare biopic which chooses to treat stardom for the three-ring circus it is, complete with lavish set-pieces of all Williams’ hits (justice for my personal favourite, ‘Advertising Space’, which doesn’t get a look-in) and an ace supporting turn from Steven Pemberton as Williams’ showboating absent father. Bombastic and knowingly ridiculous, Better Man comes together with assured ease and persistent rough-around-the- edges charm. If there’s one major complaint, it’s that Gracey wasted the title ‘The Greatest Showman’ on his previous film when it fits so aptly here.

Published 20 Dec 2024

Tags: Music Musical