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British pop star Robbie Williams is doing plenty of monkeying around in the new trailer for his upcoming biopic, Better Man. The film from Paramount Pictures, which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival back in August, is a unique depiction of the “Angels” and “Feel” singer’s rise, fall, and rise again in the music industry, laying bare his demons and insecurities in the process. However, instead of the traditional exploration of a musician with a human actor reliving their life story, Williams is portrayed by, yes, a CGI monkey that he provides the voice for. It’s billed as a more satirical, grandiose tour through his three decades of stardom which will go wide in theaters in the U.S. early next year.
The footage only gives a small tease of the journey Better Man aims to take viewers on, one that begins with his rise aboard the boy band Take That and charts his evolution into the bad boy of British pop. Williams enjoyed historic success as a solo act with 18 Brit Awards to his name, seven U.K. #1 hits, and record-breaking ticket and album sales, making him one of the bestselling artists on the planet. That success, however, has been paired with a tumultuous lifestyle filled with substance abuse and self-esteem issues, all of which will be explored in the biopic. Bombastic musical moments and visuals with twists on Williams’s iconic songs will serve as the backdrop for the vulnerable, messy tale, showcasing the spectacle of his career.
OK, But Why the CGI Monkey for ‘Better Man’?
Helming the project is The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey who brings his show-stopping tendencies to Williams’s story. It was Gracey’s idea to make Better Man visually distinct through its use of a monkey in place of the pop star, but he was inspired by Williams’s expression that he felt at times like a monkey performing for everyone. The director has shown in the past that he’s not afraid to take big, stylistic swings, for better or worse, to make his films stand out, and he again went all out to ensure the simian spin matched the quality of other movie chimps like from the Planet of the Apes franchise. Jonno Davies plays Williams’s monkey form with motion capture technology, while members of the team at WETA FX ensure the effects are spot on.
While it still follows the music biopic formula, Better Man earned high praise on the festival circuit for its unique approach to that formula. The film currently holds an 86% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes with Collider’s Matthew Donato among those lauding it in his 7/10 review, saying “Even if the film is just Williams’ ego project, the performances and song interludes are enough to sell Better Man as a must-see example of how to spice up your personal history with unforeseen ambitions.” Williams is surrounded by a strong supporting cast including Good Omens alum Steve Pemberton as his father alongside Alison Steadman, Damon Herriman, Jake Simmance, Liam Head, Jesse Hyde, and Chase Vollenweider.
Better Man will premiere in the United States on January 17 after a limited run in theaters on Christmas Day. Check out the trailer in the player above and learn more about the monkey below.
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