MICHAEL GRACEY | AUSTRALIA | 2024 | 134 MIN | ENGLISH
Giving the musician biopic a much-needed jolt of uniqueness, this rousing portrait of British pop icon Robbie Williams is as unpredictable as its larger-than-life subject. Director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) lends the proceedings an unmistakable panache, finding an appropriately unorthodox visual technique (which viewers are better off experiencing firsthand) to do this one-of-a-kind entertainer’s story justice. From his tumultuous childhood as the son of a failed musician, to his breakthrough as the resident rebel of boy band Take That, to his chart-topping solo career, the film covers all the creative and professional triumphs of Williams’ storied life, as well as the crippling self-doubt and substance abuse issues that almost did him in. If those elements sound familiar, Better Man offers a refreshingly self-aware reinvigoration of well-trodden “sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll” tropes, leaning into the absurdities of movie musical bombast even as it dares viewers to take it seriously. Even those not familiar with the Robbie Williams musical canon will find themselves swept away by this music-filled, surprisingly creative, and deeply emotional take on the creative life.
Cast: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman
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