Better Man Review
Robbie Williams’ personal problems have been well-documented – recent headlines indicate that on-going feud with Noel Gallagher shows no signs of cooling down – and this year we’ve already witnessed the complex lives of Amy Winehouse and Bob Marley on the big screen. The rock music biopic is still very much alive and kicking, with A Complete Unknown due in cinemas next month, but when the person at the centre of the story is constantly in the public eye, what’s left for a filmmaker to say about them? And, just as importantly, how do they say it?
The more conventional, near-stale music biopics can take inspiration from Michael Gracey and his refreshing approach in Better Man, which traces Williams’ story from childhood to present day. Growing up in Stoke On Trent, the young Robbie feels he’s an outsider, isn’t academic or sporty but loves music and is inspired by his dad (Steve Pemberton), who has always dreamed of making it big in the entertainment business. Not long before he walks out on his family, he tells his son “When you make it, it’s paradise.” But when Robbie makes it with Take That, he finds it’s anything but: success takes a heavy toll, he’s in terrible shape when he leaves the band and getting back on his feet and creating the music we all know him for takes time.
When the subject of any biopic is involved in the making of their film, there’s always an element of risk: they’ll have so much input that the result will be more of an official version of their lives, a PR job even, and something that’s unrealistically positive. Not so Better Man. Williams has said repeatedly in interviews that he asked his director to show him in the least flattering light possible and that’s exactly what he does. He doesn’t always avoid the inevitable cliches of the genre, but the techniques he uses are what makes this such a compelling piece of cinema. Williams narrates, with all his ripe language and self-deprecating descriptions of himself, adding to the complexity of his character, as played by Jonno Davies. Not that we ever see the actor. Instead we’re watching how Williams sees himself as both outsider and performer. The CGI chimp that matures in front of our eyes looks nothing like anybody around him, has changing hair styles and colours and there’s just the occasional flicker of Williams’ own features on his face. Blink and you’ll miss them.
Despite its leanings towards documentary, this is a musical first and foremost and Gracey reminds us of his The Greatest Showman credentials with some energetically choreographed dance sequences. Rock DJ is the highlight, bursting off the screen and recognizably filmed on Regent Street. In fact, the visuals are the film’s biggest assets – those visions of Williams’ earlier selves in the audience, all haunting him with their glaring eyes, are uncomfortably memorable – and they’re one of the most important elements of the director’s approach. It’s sad, though, that he’s unable to completely stay away from cliches, which means what could have been close to a ground-breaking film is more uneven than it should be.
But this is still anything but a typical biopic. There’s lots of elements you’d expect – the music, the tropes – but the approach is striking, different and bold. It doesn’t always 100% work, but hats off to Gracey for taking a more left field approach, one that tells its story with an honesty which isn’t always a feature of the genre but will, in those words forever linked to Williams, “entertain you.”
★★★1/2
In UK cinemas from 26 December / Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Damon Herriman and the voice of Robbie Williams / Dir: Michael Gracey / Entertainment Film Distributors / 15
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