Better Man

🎶“because i’m scum, and i’m your son.” 🎶 i am going to be so for real: this is the best musical biopic i have ever seen. i barely had an idea of who robbie williams was, nor did i really care, but this film does something i didn’t expect; it didn’t expect you to love him or care for him. this film is so brutally honest and paints a picture of the complete and utter self-loathing and selfishness that is robbie williams. the elephant in the room is definitely the cgi ape that depicts robbie for the entirety of the runtime. i was slightly optimistic for this artistic choice, however, it absolutely won me over immediately and the choice honestly improves the story being told. not only is the cgi beyond impressive, it caters to the main themes of the film in a way i did not expect. robbie rose to fame at a nuclear rate and this constant growth felt like progress to him, when in reality, he was still a teen and missed out on much of the nurturing and typical teen things needed to enter adulthood. the ape represents that part of him, in his words, that feels less evolved. and you really get to see the less-evolved character that he is. robbie williams is not a good person, and that is the big swing this film takes. most biopics try to redeem or win the audience over by the time credits roll, but better man chooses to tell the story of a man that needs validation of the millions rather than the few that matter. **“you think it is hard getting to the top? try staying it.” ** show biz is not a pretty place and better man does not hold back in this regard. you will see an ape shoot up heroin, cut themselves, and snort line after line of coke. director michael gracey is incredibly bold and shows all of the good along with all of the bad. dazzling concert performances and extravagant parties are quickly followed up by robbie’s drug abuse and mistreatment of everyone around him. i think the most unexpected thing in this movie for me was how jaw-droppingly gorgeous it is to look at. whether it is a real event or internal struggle that is visualized, everything is so vibrant and it tickled my brain just the right way. every musical set piece would, no joke, give me goosebumps and i don’t even listen to robbie at all. particularly the rock dj sequence is something i can imagine film students will be talking about for decades to come. insane choreography and to be completely honest, i dug the music. don’t knock until you listen but some of the songs featured throughout were great. i could yap endlessly about this one, like i could for most movies i give five stars, but i am just so happy i decided to go out and see this. it is such a shame it is not getting the box office it absolutely deserves. this is a biopic like no other and portrays a completely honest and vulnerable robbie williams that narrates over his reckless and disrespectful nature during his rise and fall of his career and his hope for redemption and forgiveness in the present. this is not a gimmick monkey film by any means and you would regret not seeing this one on the biggest screen. “light ‘em up.”