Five stars out of five from Time Out

 

https://www.timeout.com/movies/better-man-review-2024

 

have to wait and see what the rest of the press make of it

Edited November 28, 2024Nov 28 by Laura130262

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First Look Reviews https://blackwellfilm.com/

 

Better Man

 

 

Aussie director Michael Gracey knows a little something about rising above expectations. When The Greatest Showman debuted in 2017, it was to sniffy reviews and a modest opening box office weekend – now it’s one of the most enduring musicals of the last decade. Even with that in mind, though, Better Man seemed like a gamble – a biopic of Robbie Williams? In which he plays himself, but in the form of a CGI chimp? A mad folly, surely. But no – any doubts you might have had, you can stow them now. Dazzlingly energetic, earnestly emotional and raw, and possessing some of the year’s wildest VFX, Better Man is a riot.

 

Covering around 30 years of Williams’s life from childhood to early fame to dangerous excess and redemption, Better Man does have a pretty conventional biopic structure and is at its least exciting whenever its playing these familiar beats. Thankfully, though, it has a consistent ace up its sleeve – the chimp. Mo-capped by Jonno Davies and voiced by Williams himself, it’s a bizarre idea that is instantly intuitive in practice, as wild and expressive as we want our rockstars to be and brought to life by excellent work from both Davies and Williams.

 

VFX-wise, it’s also flawless – ape Robbie never feels less real than all the normal people around him – and Gracey is able to use the inherent weirdness of the conceit to actually let us into the mind of Williams in a way that would be impossible for a more conventional biopic. Dreamscapes meld with reality, people and places get mixed up in Williams’s coke and booze-addled brain, and there’s a magnificently mad and literal ‘confronting your inner demons’ scene that justifies the entire conceit ten times over on its own.

 

 

It’s a bold gamble that really gave me a new appreciation for Williams, happy to sign the rights to his life away to a film with such a risky central premise. It’s also – chimp or no chimp – an admirably unflattering portrayal. Some of the drinks/drugs/cheating stuff feels, inevitably, really played out after decades of musician biopics, but what is less common is how willing Williams is to let the script from Gracey and co-writers Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole delve into his specific psychological hang-ups. He’s always, always doing whatever he’s doing in a tragic and desperate attempt to earn the nastily conditional love of his dad Peter (Steve Pemberton), an emotional keystone that just gets more affecting as the film goes on.

 

Of course, there’s also some music to talk about. Between the conventional music biopic approach to the songs and the Rocketman full-on musical approach, Gracey certainly leans more into Rocketman, tracks from Williams and Take That exploding into full song-and-dance numbers that keep the story ticking along without the need for hackneyed montages. Though ‘Let Me Entertain You’ is, naturally, a showstopper, it’s ‘Angels’ that really anchors everything, easily the film’s most richly sentimental moment and earning every bit of that sappiness.

 

Even outside of the whole ape thing, there’s been some chatter about whether or not Williams’s story has yet earned the whole biopic treatment (for plenty of American audiences, this might well be their first exposure to him) but, as someone who is only really casually aware of him as an artist, Better Man still hit home for me. Gracey and Williams might not be innovating much in terms of music biopic structure here, but their razzle dazzle, all-spectacle approach is the kind of big, share-it-with-an-audience fun that this genre is so often lacking. As he frequently states in his voiceover throughout the film, the thing that Williams most fundamentally wants to *be* is an entertainer – let him entertain you.

 

4/5

 

 

https://blackwellfilm.com/2024/11/27/better-man/

Lovely piece written by Tom Fletcher from the band McFly ..

 

 

There he is, the one and only Michael Gracey @visualprostitute. Without doubt the most creative and inspiring person I’ve ever known. I feel so lucky to call him a friend and tonight we got to sit in a cinema and be blown away by his genius at the uk premiere of BETTER MAN.

Tonight was my second time seeing @bettermanmovie and there still aren’t any words to accurately describe it. It’s unlike anything you have ever seen before. Not only does it have the most jaw-dropping spectacular musical sequence EVER (seriously, you’ll know when you see it!) but it’s also so deeply moving and raw. Honestly, it is so special.

@robbiewilliams’ music hits on a whole new level now. What a life and what a way to tell that story. Somehow it feels like the only way to tell his story.

I’ve never seen so many people come out of a cinema so speechless.

Congratulations Michael. You’ve created movie, musical magic again!

X #betterman #bettermanmovie

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/officialtomfletcher

Edited November 28, 2024Nov 28 by Sydney11

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Empire magazine have given 4/5 stars. A really extensive review which I have not posted due to the fact that it contains so many spoilers.. I only briefly glanced at it myself as I want some surprises left for when I go to see the movie...

Monkeying around! Robbie Williams biopic ‘Better Man’ wins The Film Award at Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024

 

:yahoo:

 

Jonno Davies, the man behind the CGI monkey, picked up the award at the Roundhouse in London tonight

 

At tonight’s ceremony at London’s Roundhouse, the Jonno Davies-starring film beat the likes of Blur documentary To The End, Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun, Olivia Colman in Wicked Little Letters and more to pick up the gong.

 

Picking up the award from Ted Lasso star Kola Bokinni, Davies – the man behind the monkey – said: “This is an amazing honour. This was a stacked category and it means a lot.”

 

I’ve had the privilege of being the lead in this movie, palying Robbie Williams.

 

He spoke of “visionary” director Michael Gracie. “He had a vision, and wanted to tell Rob’s story through a whole new lens. That is showing Rob as he sees himself – that is a literal performing monkey.“

 

Davies added: “One of the reasons we played him as a performing monkey, I feel like a lot of people in this room might resonate with. The idea of fame, being a celebrity, an entertainer, you are put on a pedestal that feels separate to everyone else. You are expected to just turn it on at any given moment despite what you’re going through – to roll with the punches.

 

“Speaking with Rob, I now realise how dangerous that path can be. I want to take this moment to thank you all for what you do. For sacrificing parts of yourself to provide us with your artistry, and giving us some of the most vulnerable pieces of your being to provide us not with just entertainment, but with ever-evolving soundtracks to our lives.”

 

 

The second annual Rolling Stone UK Awards kicked off earlier tonight with a performance from English Teacher, who delighted with a stunning rendition of ‘You Blister My Paint’ from their Mercury Prize-winning debut album This Could Be Texas. They were followed by performances from JADE and Confidence Man.

 

https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/better-...rds-2024-45243/

 

 

 

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Edited November 29, 2024Nov 29 by Sydney11

Well done!!

What a great responce on the movie everywhere!

I can't believe it!

Zoe Ball has reached out to Robbie Williams after watching his much-hyped biopic, Better Man.

 

Better Man is not released until Boxing Day in the UK, but after bagging a sneak preview, Radio 2 star, Zoe, 54, described it as "utterly devastating", admitting it had "triggered all sorts" for her. Taking to Instagram, sharing some artwork from the flick, she wrote: Saw "@robbiewilliams film Better Man today. Can't stop thinking about it. Genius concept. So honest, bombastic, utterly devastating in places, triggering all sorts. Bravo Robbie, @thejonnodavies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman @visualprostitute and team."

 

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news...robbie-34187821

Edited November 29, 2024Nov 29 by Sydney11

BBC Radio 2 Playlist | 30th November 2024

 

A List

* Coldplay - ALL MY LOVE [Record of the Week]

Elton John & Brandi Carlile - Never Too Late [A-A-A]

JADE - Fantasy [A-A-A-A-A]

Lady Gaga - Disease [b-B-B-A-A]

↑ Myles Smith - Nice To Meet You [b-A]

Pet Shop Boys - All the young dudes [b-A-A-A]

Robbie Williams - Forbidden Road [A-A]

ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT. [b-B-A-A-A-A]

Sam Fender - People Watching [A-A-A]

Whitney Houston - Love Is (2024 Mix) [A-A-A-A]

 

Second week on Radio 2 for FR

Empire magazine have given 4/5 stars. A really extensive review which I have not posted due to the fact that it contains so many spoilers.. I only briefly glanced at it myself as I want some surprises left for when I go to see the movie...

 

I just read it -great review. ^_^

 

We're seeing some really good. positive reviews.

 

Really chuffed it won Best film at Rolling Stone mag :yahoo:

 

Thank you for posting all the news