Better Man

Review by Mark Woodring

If you’ve been following us for any amount of time, then you’ll know that Mark is a Classic Rock guy (but can listen to nearly anything), while Ryan is more of a modern music fan.

That makes this discussion of the new Robbie Williams story an interesting one…

**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he wrestles his vocal cords through another discussion with Ryan, who knows far more about Robbie Williams. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

Better Man - Review
Better Man (Paramount)

 

134 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey
Directed by Michael Gracey

Synopsis:

The meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams.

I think that what Better Man is mostly known for at this point is the fact that they’ve chosen to portray Robbie Williams as a chimpanzee.

Nobody acknowledges that he’s a CG chimp, because that’s how the conceit works, but yes, he’s a chimp.

More on that in the discussion, I guarantee you.

So, obvious attention-getting gimmick aside, what does Better Man actually do?

Well, for starters, if you’re like me and your knowledge of Robbie Williams is the NAME Robbie Williams, you’re going to be treated to a story of a young man who desperately wants to be something, and when he gets it, he grabs tight of it with both hands…

… and proceeds to YEET that sumbitch out the window of the tallest building he can find.

Fame. Ain’t she a bitch?

Plucked from obscurity to be part of a boy band which, like so few of them on either side of the pond (that’s the Atlantic Ocean for all you heathens out there), actually has some talented folks in it and holds on for more than the average shelf-life of “boy band,” Robert cum “Robbie” is the bad-boy, a role he seems tailor made to play.

And he does.

Through the inevitable fallout with his band-mates, to his slow resurgence as a solo artist, to overcoming the overwhelming public negativity he brought on himself, Robbie Williams slow, painfully, almost unwillingly, becomes a Better Man than when he started.

But by no means does that make him perfect. Not even close.

Don’t let the chimpanzee gimmick fool you; Better Man is as quality a musical biopic as you’ll see. The musical numbers flow nicely, and the integration of Chimp-Robbie is superb.

Whether you know the Robbie Williams story or are going in blind, Better Man delivers on every category you could ask it to.

It’s a shame the gimmick seems to have overridden it’s quality over awards season.

It really is better than you might think, and is certainly a film worth catching in the theaters if you want to have a good time.

High praise, coming from me, I know; Mister “I hate musicals” but sometimes the sun shines and even I have to admit to enjoying one (or more than one, depending, lol).

Better Man opens wide on January 10 and stars Robbie Williams, Jonnon Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alisoin Steadman, Kate Mulvany, Frazer Hadfield, Raechelle Banno, Tom Budge, and Damon Herriman.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

Please don’t forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW us on:

And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:




Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:

VSMP Merch Store

Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!)


 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,