Just minutes into Better Man, the eight-year-old Robert Williams, depicted as a CG chimp, is abandoned by his father. He steps onto the streets of Stoke-on-Trent singing ‘Feel’, foreshadowing his future as a popstar. Despite seeming illogical, it's heartbreaking. His drooping shoulders and pleading eyes evoke sympathy as the strings swell. “I just wanna feel real love, feel the home that I live in,” he sings. It’s hard not to love him.
Michael Gracey's film explores Robbie Williams' early life, focusing on his quest for validation amid a strained relationship with his fame-seeking father who leaves him. As a boyband star at 16, Williams faces delayed maturity due to an inebriated arrested development. Gracey's gentle direction evokes empathy and highlights universal themes of love, safety, and avoiding exploitation.
Narrated from Williams' perspective, it unveils his self-hatred, agreeing with harsh labels. Candid interviews with Gracey add rawness to this musical spectacle, portraying Williams as a performing monkey—a risky yet successful choice that makes the film exaggerated yet relatable. The young Williams, neglected by his father, finds solace in his supportive mother and grandmother. He joins Take That, overshadowed by Gary Barlow and undermined by manager Nigel Martin-Smith. Haunted by his father's belief that being a nobody is the worst fate, Williams' internal struggles intensify with fame, culminating in surreal scenes. Gracey's portrayal captivates, with Jonno Davies capturing Williams' mannerisms using performance-capture, enhanced by Wētā FX. Davies voices Williams, while Williams sings, brilliantly executing the concept to make the character authentic and engaging.
In a poignant scene, Williams delivers a heartfelt performance of 'Relight My Fire', sensing disapproval from Martin-Smith and Barlow. The CGI chimp adds emotional depth, engaging viewers through its animalistic charm. Williams' relationship with Nicole Appleton blurs reality, intertwining human and CGI elements. The film excels in evoking empathy for its characters, though some are eclipsed by the chimp. A subplot with Williams' friend feels incomplete, and Peter's showmanship lacks depth, affecting the father-son dynamic, which remains tender. Gracey infuses Williams' songs with emotional resonance, seamlessly integrating them into the narrative. 'Angels' is reimagined with black umbrellas, challenging conventions, while 'Let Me Entertain You' transforms into an apocalyptic scene.
The film, maintaining a cheeky and unpredictable tone, avoids biopic clichés, with absurd moments like a wetsuit argument and amusing Gallagher cameos. Gracey focuses on the journey's heart, supported by Erik Wilson's uplifting cinematography, which enhances the troubled ape's narrative. The story is imbued with tenderness, highlighted by a bleach-blond chimp in a red Adidas tracksuit, creating an intoxicating mix.
The most outrageous music biopic since Todd Haynes used Barbie dolls for the Karen Carpenter story, Michael Gracey delivers the year's biggest cinematic surprise. An absolute thrill.