Come on, come on, come on, come on. A pop star as swaggering as Robbie Williams – the British ‘90s icon who rocketed out of Take That to his own mega-fame – was never going to fit the standard rags-to-riches biopic treatment we’ve seen hundreds of times over. But admit it: you didn’t exactly expect this. Better Man is, indeed, a Robbie Williams biopic, depicting his rise as a pop provocateur, chart-smasher, and general troublemaker. Except, the part of Robbie Williams is played by… a CGI ape, Planet Of The Apes style. No, really. Not a bad fit for the man behind ‘Me And My Monkey’. Watch the bonkers first trailer here:
Amid a deluge of by-the-numbers music biopics, it’s thrilling to see Better Man take a totally different tack – along with the LEGO Pharrell film Piece By Piece, it’s the most original idea since Rocketman remixed Elton John’s story into an all-out musical. And given that Williams has never shied away from sharing his battles, hopefully this one will be equally unflinching as Rocketman in depicting the highs and lows of stardom. The film is directed by Michael Gracey, who helmed The Greatest Showman and Pink documentary Pink: All I Know So Far – with Williams providing his own voice for the damn dirty ape. For those who grew up with Williams’ music, there’s plenty to recognise here – the 2002 Brits, the 1999 Glasgow concert where he wore a kilt, his massive Knebworth gig. Just, you know, with an ape. And there does seem to be proper musical numbers here, as well as the stage performances.
Given its positive reception at Telluride and TIFF, Better Man could end up being a real end-of-year treat – it’s due to hit UK cinemas on 26 December. Let him entertain you.