Reel Review Roundup

Better Man (MA)

Directed by: Michael Gracey

Starring: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton

Review by: Julian Wright

Cheeky British popstar Robbie Williams’ rags to riches life is adapted to the big screen with some bold choices – but one in particular sets this biopic aside from all the others.

Better Man charts Williams’ life from humble, working class beginnings and not fitting in with the other lads on the soccer field, to being the youngest member of pop band Take That, his solo career and meteoric rise in popularity.

And his ultimate fall and fame-related struggles.

A few of the dramatic beats and developments are standard popstar biopic fare (drug addiction, self destructive behaviour, strained relationships etc) but this has been given the mega-budget treatment and is bursting with energy and style.

There are major musical sequences that are truly dazzling, giving this film a grander scale than what we usually see in this sub-genre, which are usually far more grounded and contained.

The biggest swing Better Man takes is having Williams represented as a CGI chimpanzee, for metaphoric purposes, throughout the entire film.

It is a bold and unusual choice that may not sit well with everyone, but it is certainly a fresh way to deliver the story when other aspects very familiar.

The film’s greatest achievement is capturing and maintaining Williams endearingly cheeky personality and still making him someone to root for even when he begins to spiral.

Williams personality shines through and is a constant reminder why people fell in love with him in the first place, and why his redemption story deserves our attention.

This entry was posted on December 30, 2024 at 4:49 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags better-man, biopic, movies, music, review, robbie-williams, take-that. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.