Review: ‘Better Man’ wears a mask of honesty

A scene from ‘Better Man’ courtesy of Paramount Pictures

‘Better Man’ is a biopic about chart-topping pop singer Robbie Williams, which features the unusual twist of depicting its star as an ape.

The road to stardom is rarely straight or paved in gold — that’s just the dream. In actuality, it’s winding and littered with obstacles that may divert or even kill you. Fame and fortune are attainable at any stage, but they don’t always result in an improvement; sometimes, they may even hasten your downfall. But if you make it through all the trials and hardships, maybe you get the opportunity to enjoy it all at some point. Better Man chronicles the life and career of British pop singer Robbie Williams with the unique twist that he appears as an ape through the entire film.

As a boy, Robert Williams (Carter J. Murphy) dreamt day and night of becoming a star. The fantasy was encouraged by his father (Steve Pemberton), who had his own dreams of grandeur, and his grandmother (Alison Steadman), who believed he could do anything. At 15, Robert was renamed Robbie (Jonno Davies) when he’s recruited as one of the five members of British group Take That, which would become a global boyband sensation. Unfortunately, his rising star parallelled his rising drug and alcohol addiction, leading to his eventual dismissal. On the plus side, now Robbie could have the spotlight to himself, writing and performing his own songs. But with no one left to hide behind, he was finally forced to confront his demons and try to make it out alive.

Williams’ story is not unique in the industry, starting out young and developing addictions that can be largely attributed to accessibility and needing to stifle his inconvenient emotions. While Williams’ voiceover commentary confirms he was experiencing depression, which he was trying to counteract with recreational and prescription drugs, there’s also a sense he was battling imposter syndrome as the voices in his head repeatedly state he’s not good enough and will be found out soon. The latter is expressed via intense and disconcerting visuals that personify his doubts and fears.

Initially, the non-human face is off-putting, but as the narrative progresses and Williams’ story grows more complicated, it becomes less significant in everyday interactions, while making his delusions more menacing. Even though it seems a bit gimmicky, director Michael Gracey has said the CGI façade was inspired by Williams’ own descriptions of his past, in which he noted feeling like a performing monkey throughout his life. Thus, the chimp appearance raises the negative connotations of the phrase, “dance, monkey dance,” while simultaneously removing any temptations to judge the accuracy of the actors’ looks against their real-life counterpart. There is a moment where it appears the transformation from animal to human may occur, but Gracey proves wholly committed to the unique depiction.

With Williams being one of the world’s biggest pop stars at one time, many may be familiar with the headlines that both marred and boosted his career, but this film goes behind the curtain. There’s no attempt to paint his worst moments in a good light, making the picture feel like a raw portrait of his mistakes, as well as a large-scale amends to those he hurt along the way. Perhaps the camouflage also created a disconnect that made it easier for Williams to revisit these sometimes-painful memories. Nonetheless, the actors hidden behind the fur do an excellent job portraying the singer’s mannerisms, while the CGI mask convincingly apes human expressions.

Director: Michael Gracey
Starring: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies and Steve Pemberton