Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in Better Man from Paramount Pictures.

Talk about good timing. Musical biopic Better Man releases in South Africa just as its central figure, British pop star Robbie Williams, is touring the country. And fans thrilled by the live shows locally will definitely want to extend the experience by checking out this crowd-pleasing take on Williams’s life, made with the performer’s rather unconventional involvement, and peppered with his biggest hits.

Williams narrates Better Man, and provides vocals but a no point does he appear on-screen. Because, throughout, he’s portrayed as a chimpanzee, courtesy of CGI visuals and a motion-captured performance by Jonno Davies. It’s an odd creative choice, but proves less jarring in a two-hour-plus film versus a two-minute trailer clip. It also makes a bit more sense with greater context.

Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in Better Man from Paramount Pictures.

More specifically, there have been a flood of big screen musical biographies in recent years, delving into the troubled lives of everyone from Freddie Mercury and Whitney Houston, to Elton John, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley and, most recently, Bob Dylan. Most of these icons are deceased, or in their golden years. Robbie Williams is just 50 years old, making new music and touring with vigour. Though it’s questionable why Williams is a receiving a biopic treatment now, the primate addition does put some distance between the singer-songwriter and the fictionalised take on his life, helping the project feel less like a documentary.

It also drives home the cinematic approach of Better Man, because the film is far from subtle. At one point, Williams speaks explicitly about how the movie reflects his feelings about himself – which is as someone “less evolved.” Get it? Better Man, in fact, devotes a lot of time to conveying the star’s struggles with imposter syndrome; the insidious inner voices of depression; and anxieties about being found out as a talentless nobody who hides behind his stage persona, and the various iterations he’s passed through during a career that kicked off at just 15 when he joined boy band Take That.

Alison Steadman as “Betty” in Better Man from Paramount Pictures.

Narratively, Better Man may be a true story but there’s little we haven’t seen before for this niche genre. The film hits most of the same plot beats as Elton John-centred Rocketman, from the AWOL father and encouraging nan in the protagonist’s formative years, through a long downward spiral of self-loathing and addiction, right to a half-hearted suicide attempt and, finally, self-admission to rehab to change things around. The only difference is that Williams has supportive family and friends, who he is shown treating increasingly badly. In these moments, it’s clear that Better Man certainly isn’t an uncritical, ego-stroking exercise for its former bad boy star.

In the midst of its familiar tune, the biopic does at least offer some fresh thematic explorations. It’s signposted in neon for viewers again, but Williams is obsessed with pursuing fame and audience adoration, as he’s convinced that these will provide the fulfilment he craves. But it becomes a desperate pursuit of hollow, transient highs. Ultimately, the film delivers the message that it’s about loving what you’re doing, and, by extension, yourself, as opposed to fixating on others loving you for what you do perfomatively – which is highly relevant in the era of algorithm- and metric-chasing influencers.

Raechelle Banno as “Nicole Appleton” and Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in Better Man from Paramount Pictures.

Meanwhile, a couple of non-Williams focused moments give the film extra punch, like fiancé Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) being forced to terminate her pregnancy by her record label, and Williams’s beloved grandmother Betty (Alison Steadman) breaking down as she realises her dementia is advancing.

As already mentioned, Better Man lacks subtlety, but that’s Williams himself and he is well aware of, and unapologetic about, that fact. Director Michael Gracey, who made The Greatest Showman (and, interestingly enough, was initially lined up to direct Rocketman) leans into that fact, with trippy fantasy sequences, and high-energy musical numbers that use digital wizardry to seamless transition between scenes, creating the impression that whole segments have been captured in a single take, and giving things the air of a grand theatrical production with always-on-point choreography.

Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in Better Man from Paramount Pictures.

On that note, Better Man features extensive use of CGI. At times it’s gratingly weightless and fake-looking, but that hasn’t stopped the film from earning a nomination for Best Visual Effects at this year’s Academy Awards. Clearly voters were still impressed by the convincing primate reimagining of the movie’s star.

The point is that the flaws of Better Man are apparent, but Williams himself is a flawed figure, trying to do better, by himself and those around him. One of his signature songs is Let Me Entertain You, and that is evidently the guiding principle behind Better Man, which is always visually interesting and never boring. The film’s mental staying power may be limited, but in the moment it’s involving, rousing and even got the cinema audience to applaud at the end of screening I attended. Just like they were in a concert venue. How often does that happen?

Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in Better Man from Paramount Pictures.

Better Man is in South African cinemas from Friday, 24 January.


Better Man review

Narratively, Better Man, offers nothing new as a musical biopic, hitting almost every beat covered already in Rocketman, for example. However, that doesn’t stop the film from being an energetic and emotionally involving crowd-pleaser. Its highly unusual creative choices have actually paid off.

8
Better Man was reviewed on the big screen