The “monkey” in the world of pop has wandered between the comic and the surreal. From the fun 60’s reggae ‘Monkey Man’, popularized in this century by Amy Winehouse, to the Pixies’ ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’. Also with its racist connotations, it was clear that being a monkey could not represent anything good. Or at least nothing too serious. Robbie Williams himself had a forgotten song called ‘Me and My Monkey’ in which he went from here to there accompanied by an imaginary monkey.
The fact that the artist is represented by a primate in his fictional biopic ‘Better Man’ is a brilliant idea because a large part of Robbie Williams’ success was building hits from the humor of the ridiculous. There are videos like ‘Rock DJ’. Before there was so much awareness about what fatphobia is (because there is, right?), Robbie Williams was the ugly duckling, the thug member who is still not tolerated in today’s boy bands. In Take That he was the wayward member, the free verse. Sometimes the clown, too. Remembering his beginnings, today it is easy to see him as a superstar in the making, but the road to achieving it was not easy at all. That the “monkey” has triumphed is still an act of poetic justice, and that is the great highlight of this film.
‘Better Man’ highlights a childhood marked by loneliness and maladjustment. The vision it offers us about adolescence in the United Kingdom is as wild as what we have seen in series like ‘Skins’ or ‘Brassic’. In that permanent “every man for himself,” Robbie Williams goes out of his way for the approval of a father, in a relationship that has been openly exaggerated in pursuit of the story. In any case, the need for approval from others is something that has traditionally marked the careers of many artists, in many cases in relation to poor mental health, and that is one of the most interesting paths taken by this production.
The history of pop is there. The appearance of Oasis is hilarious. That of other members of Take That and their castings and live performances, almost too. Robbie’s relationship with Nicole Marie Appleton of All Saints has an unexpected role, represented through dance. And in general, lyrics as beautiful as those of ‘Feel’ and ‘Angels’ are perfectly integrated into the plot, renouncing a chronological presentation: you will find yourself singing them for weeks. They catch the most sporadic nods to great songs like ‘Let Me Entertain You’ or ‘Something Stupid’. But it is in the way in which Robbie Williams doubts his qualities, sinks into his addictions and tries to get up when ‘Better Man’ offers that story of improvement so grateful in the big theaters.
Afterwards, it is true that Michael Gracey, responsible for the great success of ‘The Greatest Showman’, brings ‘Better Man’ towards the needs of the general public through repetitions and underlinings (such as the ghost that chases Robbie) and that climactic scene at the Knepworth concert, more plagued by excess than emotion. The film has exceeded 100 million dollars in budget. But nothing makes you take your eyes off that monkey created digitally based on the interpretation of Jonno Davies and with the collaboration of Robbie Williams himself.
In the long run, it has been good news that ‘Better Man’ is a film made outside the boring canons of Hollywood. It may not have had the industry backing that ‘Rocket Man’, about the life of Elton John, or ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, about the life of Freddie Mercury, did. In return, it is almost completely devoid of that tacky and kitsch point. This jumpsuit is much better than that impossible dental prosthesis that they planted on Rami Malek, and about which some of us still have nightmares. Without a doubt, the best thing about this whole story is that Robbie Williams was able to say loud and clear to some of the industry’s demands a big “fuck you.”
