And we are following here.
You think we have undone of ourselves to call Better Man one of the most productive videos of the year, but we assure you that you will feel the same and we agree that it is not lovely when it comes to entertaining you in cinemas this Christmas.
We will stop now with the references of Robbie Williams if you think we are doing it because Better Man is brilliant.
A fantastic (and fantastical) take on a vintage biopic and fall where the fact that his subject is depicted as a CGI chimpanzee, and that they are all human, is one of the least noticeable facets of him.
You won’t have noticed anything like this and whether you’re a Robbie Williams fan or not, it’s actually a holiday value over the festive period.
Let’s start with the chimpanzee of it all. We get that you might think it’s just a gimmick, but that would be to downplay both Weta FX’s always-excellent work and the superb performance of Jonno Davies, who plays Robbie Williams via motion-capture.
Williams can provide the narration of the film and sing in all musical numbers, but it is Davies and the work of visual effects that paint the spirit and emotion. The most impressive thing is that you are even hunting a chimpanzee, apart from a really wild series of Knebworth, because everything is very real.
The same can be said of the story told. The biographies of the tourreros are devoid of any merit because the subject is directly involved. However, despite (or perhaps because of) Williams’ involvement, there are no athletes, no dark, open work about the demanding situations of fame and the star’s struggles with it.
This means that even when the plot design is that of a traditional biopic (Williams wishes to hit the back rock before the inevitable rebirth), honesty appears from the biopic maxim. Afraid to show his topic of topic at its worst.
Or as the star puts it himself in the movie’s witty and knowing narration, he often comes across as a “f**king twat”.
What Better Man also has in common with that Elton John biopic are some terrific musical numbers. Not every classic Robbie Williams hit is covered here, but the ones that feature are reimagined to fit the story rather than having a song just wedged in for the sake of it.
‘Rock DJ’ becomes a showstopping ode to Take That finally breaking the mainstream as a huge dance number breaks out on Regent Street. ‘She’s the One’ starts as a meet-cute between Williams and Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) before morphing into a romantic but heartbreaking recap of their entire relationship.
With Michael Gracey, director of The Greatest Showman on camera, the musical sequences are presented with inventiveness and panache. At a time when some accuse Wicked of being too boring and flat, Better Man shows how theatrical musical numbers deserve to be presented.
There’s a flavor here in framing, transitions, and editing, but it’s all done with storytelling at its core. Take, for example, a lovely transition in “Angels” in which Robbie recalls watching TV with his grandmother (a perfectly portrayed Alison Steadman) in an image mirrored on screen.
You probably wouldn’t think about crying in a Robbie Williams biopic where he’s portrayed through a chimpanzee, but you will. Honestly, it can also happen during the first issue of “Feel,” when young chimpanzee Robbie watches his father (Steve Pemberton). ) abandon it.
During Better Man, realize that there really was no other way to tell Robbie Williams’ story. He might appear on screen as a chimpanzee, but the film is as irreverent and self-aware, while still being fair and emotional, as the star himself.
Most importantly, Better Man aims to capture the theatrical rock-star charisma of its subject, which it does in tremendous fashion.
Please.
Better Man is in British cinemas on December 26.