‘Better Man’ 4K UHD Blu-ray (review)

Paramount Pictures

Biopics are always nestled in a section of the cinematic landscape where their inherently formulaic presence provides emotionally impactful storytelling at best, and self-aggrandizing tripe at worst.

The subcategory of music biopics has plenty of examples of both good and bad as well, and with Robbie Williams’ hedonistic lifestyle making constant headlines after his split from Take That in the 1990s before his meteoric solo career would eventually make him one of the most recognized entertainers of recent decades, it is easy to see why his life and career was ripe for the biopic treatment.  Albeit few would probably have been to predict he would have done it as anthropomorphized chimpanzee.

Always considered a cheeky monkey thanks to his boyish boisterousness, Williams being portrayed as the showbiz biopic version of the talking apes of the well-received reboot of the Planet of the Apes makes a sly kind of sense, and while such an unusual creative choice easily runs the risk of being a disengagingly grating distraction

In the case of Better Man, it fortunately lends an otherwise by-the-numbers biopic a much-needed creative air, as the film would have failed to stand out against the myriad of other tragic biopics available otherwise.

Arguably overlong – which is in all fairness par for the course when it comes to contemporary biopics – the narrative structure is as you would expect, namely detailing Williams’ life from boyhood to stardom and all the milestones he experienced as both an individual and a popstar, utilizing his discography to emphasize various story points along the way.

Some of these moments are somber and straightforward, however, much as the creativity associated with film is underlined by how the viewer swiftly accepts that Williams is portrayed as an ape without much adjustment needed in order to do so, a few of the set pieces being delightfully inventive and sincerely impressive, and it is here that Better Man provides its best entertainment value.

A competent production overall, Better Man hardly reinvents the biopic genre, as you will already know exactly how the narrative will be structured by the time you sit down to watch the film, however, it cleverly avoids falling into the pit of obscurity with the multitude of depressing biopics audiences are presented with year after year, all of which is thanks to that central creative choice that aggressively steers the film away from being another alienating sob story.

You know the music, you know the man, you remember the headlines, so there is nothing surprising to be learned about Williams as such, but then audiences tend to know all of this already, as their fandom is usually instrumental to them deciding to watch such a biopic in the first place.

Your enjoyment of Better Man will ultimately vary depending on how you feel about Williams in general, as the story is the age-old tale of a talented hopeful going from rags to riches to substance abuse before finally achieving sobriety and, hopefully, becoming a better man who will nonetheless always be seen as the cheeky monkey of pop music.

Extras include a making if documentary and featurette.

Verdict: 7 out of 10.