Better Man

AroView: A grand, gaudy musical biopic about Robbie Williams who enjoyed early success with ‘Take That’ and greater heights as a solo performer (Angels, Rock DJ, etc.), only with the inspired twist of having the British popstar being played as a chimpanzee.

With this wild novelty, the film freshens a whole bunch of biopic tropes thanks to a brilliantly animated hybrid creation built around Williams’ shameless persona. Yet the film is all about confronting that shame and the monkey suit is a perfect metaphor for a man who constantly feels like a performing one and is never quite comfortable in his skin, thanks partly to abandonment issues with this father. But it’s when Rob and Dad finally become better men that this bonkers film goes for broke.

“Gracey’s involving and immersive direction sweeps us up and out of our seats, refreshing beats that have grown musty in this territory (does every musician have a bad dad and a drug problem?) with endlessly inventive transitions and montages that find ways to offer something unexpected.” ~Benjamin Lee, The Guardian

“This is a biopic made by a mad man, filmed in a visual language that defies categorization, with musical numbers that would make Baz Luhrmann dizzy.” ~Jacob Hall, Slashfilm

”[A] very entertaining, surprisingly moving film.” ~Tim Grierson, Screen Daily