If you’ve heard of Better Man, then you’re likely to have shared the same sentiment as everyone else — why a monkey? If you are like me and were expecting a flimsy gimmick in what would otherwise be a generic music biopic, then you may be surprised by just how utterly wrong I was in that impression. Little can be said about the plot. It’s a standard rise of a pop star storyline, yet it fully embraces the fantastical elements that is afforded yet sadly underused by the musical genre. The set pieces are not just there to fill the scene, but to help tell Williams’ state of mind. In using a monkey to represent Williams, the film succeeds in transforming a gimmick into a needed vessel to properly convey the sense of otherness and isolation that plagues Williams in his rise to fame. Yet this is arguably far from a feel-good musical biopic.
Despite the light-hearted humour in Williams’ self-deprecating voiceover to the purposefully cheesy scenes during his time in a boyband, this film is a scathing self-reflection of someone who has struggled with a level of self-hatred and anxiety since childhood. The degree to which Williams is haunted by his own self-hatred feels almost suffocating that you welcome the moments of levity. This self-loathing culminates in a metaphorical fight scene that would feel insane to explain to anyone who’s never seen it, yet somehow it works perfectly for this film. It would be remiss to simply place this as a standard celebrity biopic — when this tries and succeeds in producing a character driven study of a man who feels trapped by his own mind despite the fame and fortune. It is all the more disappointing to see how overlooked it is as a genuine cinematic experience.
“Robbie Williams Milan 2013-07-31” by U2gigs.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.