The monkey-Robbie is more credible than many flesh-and-blood stars
In an old interview, David Bowie said that “dressing up actually means making it clear who you are immediately, without hiding”. A paradoxical phrase, but one that is linked to that vision for which the maskssometimes, they can be more truthful and representative of who we are or who we would like to be than the real face. In the musical film “Better man”produced and directed by Michael Gracey, Robbie Williams (here is our interview), through an artifice, namely that of portraying himself as a monkey because he has always felt “less evolved than others” (in the film we see an anthropomorphic chimpanzee created with computer graphics, played by Jonno Davies via motion capture) traces his tormented history, from childhood to great success first with Take That and then as a soloist. And he does it without making any concessions, as we have seen very few other times in the story of a pop star. And this is why “Better man” stands out.
Irreverent, human and stoned
It is certainly a hilarious, irreverent film, with a killer soundtrack thanks to hits like “Angels”, “Rock dj”, “She’s the One” and many others, at times it is also strongly moving as in the scenes centering on the relationship between the monkey-Robbie and his grandmother or between the monkey-Robbie and his father, but his greatest quality is in his frankness, in not having do-gooder filters. Yes, the artificially created monkey Robbie is more believable than many real stars. Despite the mask, in fact, the former Take That rebel does not hide his ghosts, his vices, his most despicable and “real asshole” behaviors.
Today many biopics or documentaries a priori celebrate artists, even those with dissolute lives, offering a partial photograph of them, without ever giving a negative or truly controversial vision of them, even when this has been obvious. Robbie Williams, on the other hand, just as already happened in the beautiful docuseries about his life, which can be seen on Netflix, appears to be full of talent and cheekya man of records like when in 2003 he gathered 375 thousand spectators in total at Knebworth Park in Stevenage, the largest live event in the history of the United Kingdom, but it doesn’t leave out the dark side: it is also Self-centered, obsessed with success, traitor towards a great love, Nicole Marie Appleton, member of All Saints, and is not afraid to put the spotlight on very dark periods of his journey such as the one in which he was addict.
A touching duet
Not everything, in terms of representation and chronology, is perfectly relevant to its true story, but the sensations and feelings behind the scenes are absolutely real and vivid. An example: the final duet between the monkey-Robbie and his father Peter to the tune of “My way” by Frank Sinatra, an important symbolic reunion after a troubled relationship, did not happen as seen in the film on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall in that historic concert in 2001, but years later. “Better man”, playing with reality, entering into a short circuit with it, in the end is one of the most truthful stories on the dark side of fame: throughout the film the monkey-Robbie fights with his monsters and tries to shake off the terrible impostor syndrome. He who, for years, dreamed of the limelight, now that he has it, fears he won’t be up to it. It is a path towards the light where music has a decisive weight because “a song is only good if it really costs you something…”, they say to the producer Guy Antony Chamberarchitect of Robbie’s solo climb. In “Better man” Robbie Williams is never afraid to reveal himself, between lights and shadows. And Eminem’s reasoning comes to mind, contained in “8mile”another gem of a film, in which he explains that after telling his own weaknesses firsthand and shamelessly showing his wounds, then what else could possibly do harm?
