Better Man – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Director – Michael Gracey
Writers – Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey
Stars – Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton

I’d only just recovered from Pharrell Williams identifying as Lego when along comes Robbie Williams portrayed as a chimpanzee. Even if Robbie hadn’t publicly stated it, the “performing monkey” metaphor is obvious. While it is a novel idea it doesn’t always serve the film’s best interests.

Anyone who has read even a fraction of what has been written about Robbie Williams over the years knows he has led a colourful and interesting life. In recent years, he has become very reflective, holding his hands up for his bad behaviour and calling out others who mistreated him in the music industry. He appears to be using this film as a tongue-in-cheek dig towards some of them (Gary Barlow doesn’t come off particularly well in this flick).  Robbie even explains revenge is seductive at one point as if telegraphing his intentions.

However, it would be wrong to think of this as the movie equivalent of a revenge body. Robbie’s life is so much more than that. He came from humble beginnings and his father left when he was a child. He joined Take That when he was only 15 and was thrust into a very adult world, which explains many of his subsequent issues.

He doesn’t sugarcoat his battle with drink and drugs. They are portrayed as sloppily and as messily as they were in real life, but it doesn’t really have the same impact when a CGI primate is going through it.

This could have been a great film as, unlike many celebrities, Robbie’s story is a truly interesting one. He has had huge highs (in every sense of the word), massive lows and amazing comebacks. It is full of drama and pathos but never has the full impact it should because of the choice to use the chimp.

I didn’t hate this, but it could have been so much more. It had the potential to be a Rocketman with its whimsical style of storytelling and interweaving the music into the plot (although many tracks you would expect are missing – probably due to rights issues). Instead, it leaves you scratching your head somewhat. It has some lovely moments, but the chimpanzee conceit means you never fully engage with it.