Robbie Williams was a name I had never heard before the announcement of Better Man. Despite having a good production team behind the film, I had zero interest in seeing another musical biopic, especially about someone whom I knew nothing about. Then, I heard that Robbie Williams would be portrayed by a motion-captured CGI ape, which not only caught my attention but reversed all expectations I had before. 

Is the film as weird as its premise sounds? Absolutely.

Better Man is co-written and directed by Michael Gracey, who hasn’t directed a feature since the worldwide success of The Greatest Showman. The film is a semi-autobiographical feature about British pop star Robbie Williams, who plays the older version of himself in the movie. While the storytelling structure follows similar films of the genre, the execution is anything but; focusing on the chaos of Williams’ life through visual effects and fantastical musical numbers.

The main question that many people have about Better Man is “why is Robbie Williams portrayed as an ape?” The film doesn’t give you a good answer to that question, leaving the audience to decide the reasoning for themselves. For me, I found the choice to be a mixed bag. Where I appreciated the creative choice of making Williams an ape is in the dissection of Williams as a person. Williams is portrayed as an animal-like figure, constantly berating others and treating people in an inhumane manner. This creative choice made for a unique interpretation of the biopic and an incredibly memorable movie experience.

I found the film’s emotional beats to hit fairly well, but the fact that it is a CGI ape conveying the emotions was distracting at times. Animals are able to project emotions well, but not to the level of humans, especially actors. This aspect of the film made me emotionally distant from the core themes, making me wish there was a human face in the lead role.

One of the film’s central themes is how insecurities can keep a person from achieving their dreams. While the film tackles this in a sentimental and satisfying manner, the basic idea of the film juxtaposes the entire message. The fact that an ape is portraying a real person acts as someone hiding who they really are. Not being able to put a name to a face not only lessens the uniqueness of the pop star, but shows that the creator is unwilling to perceive that the character on screen is their true self. Even though the film attempts to look at Williams with a naked lens, this aspect truly bothered me. 

The film follows the traditional biopic structure to a tee. It delves into the rise to fame, addiction, substance abuse and cheating scandals, which have been covered to death by films such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and Walk the Line. This aspect of the film made many of the plot beats feel redundant and tedious, which left me wanting more on the basis of film structure. 

On a technical level, Better Man is pretty fantastic. Michael Gracey has upped his game on a directing front, delivering many fast-paced and well-choreographed musical numbers that heightened the pace and entertainment. With a grand spectacle and clever editing techniques, it is clear that Gracey has a true knack for musical filmmaking, and I am excited to see his career flourish. 

The editing is another standout element of Better Man. I was worried that the film would be littered with melodrama, but the editing gave a more light-hearted approach to what is otherwise a tragic story. WIlliams’ rise to fame is shot and edited like it was a fever dream, with scenes being layered on top of each other to convey a puzzling passage of time. Similar to films like Elvis, this technique worked for the film as it gave many of the derivative moments the liveliness and energy it otherwise would not have had.

One of the many quests that Williams ventured through in the film is the father’s quest, which is undoubtedly my favorite. Better Man makes it clear that Williams’ father, played by Steve Pemberton, is one of the reasons he got into the music industry. Their relationship is incredibly complicated, which made for many standout dramatic sequences. Not only did the themes presented tie directly into the morals of the movie, but the performances by Williams and Pemberton were excellent in these scenes. Even though the father’s quest arc left a bad taste in my mouth by the end due to how emotionally abusive Williams’ dad was, it was easily the storyline that left the biggest impact on me. 

Better Man is an interesting film for many reasons. It is filled with dazzling musical sequences and heartfelt storylines, but its creative decisions left me conflicted on the movie as a whole. While I appreciated that the film did something different, I am not sure it added to the story in any way. Was it cool to see a talking ape do drugs and sing for thousands of people? Of course. But was it necessary? Not really.

Better Man will play in theaters nationwide on January 10.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• The motion-capture work is excellent, which should deservingly be in the conversation for Best Visual Effects. After receiving a Best Visual Effects nomination at the Critics Choice Awards and making it into the Oscars Shortlist for Visual Effects, I think its chances of getting in are highly likely. Outside of this, I doubt it makes it into any other category.