Curious biopic

Robbie Williams: life review in monkey form

Yes, it's him: Robbie Williams will be portrayed by a CGI-animated monkey and actor Jonno Davies.

(Bild: Paramount Pictures)

Entertainer, scandalmonger, family man - ex-boyband member and superstar Robbie Williams is many things. The biopic "Better Man", which shows his wild Sturm und Drang years, is currently showing at the cinema - with Robbie as a monkey. The "Krone" spoke to him and director Michael Gracey about this.

Over the last few years, biopics about rock stars have become a lucrative source of income for various film studios. In terms of quality, this has sometimes been outstandingly successful ("Walk The Line"), usually quite adequate ("Bohemian Rhapsody", "Rocketman", "Straight Outta Compton"), but sometimes it has also gone down the drain ("Bob Marley: One Love"). Australian director Michael Gracey ("The Greatest Showman") and superstar Robbie Williams chose what at first glance appears to be a completely absurd, yet ingenious approach for "Better Man - The Robbie Williams Story". Robbie is played by a CGI-animated monkey, embodied by up-and-coming actor Jonno Davies, who was given Robbie's contours. What sounds like bad trash in theory turns out to be an amusing and warm-hearted retrospective of a rock star's life with all its ups and downs, just as we know it and love it as curious onlookers.

Dressed-up showbiz monkey
"The idea of showing Robbie's life from a special perspective as a monkey was a challenge," laughs director Stacey in an interview with the "Krone", "I was turned down for two years, because various financiers naturally want to be sure that a film will definitely make money. But we couldn't be sure about the idea. Most of them initially thought that the monkey scenes would reflect some kind of nightmare. When I said that Robbie appears as a monkey throughout the movie, the conversations were usually over quickly." The artist himself came up with the idea of portraying Robbie as a monkey. The 50-year-old sees himself as a "trained showbiz monkey", perfect entertainer and narcissist. "Above all, I rediscovered myself through the film," Williams tells the "Krone" during an interview in Cologne, "and realized that I am a different person today."

The narrative structure of "Better Man" is based on the classic rock star narrative. A boy from the British working class is bullied and has a dream, which he turns into reality with a lot of perseverance and a "cheeky goose". He doesn't really stand a chance, but he gets his way everywhere. He can't cope with the fame and turns to sex, alcohol and drugs. On his way to the top and back down to earth, relationships and friendships break down, while self-doubt and ego problems increase exponentially. In the end, the superstar appears reformed and conciliatory and embarks on his second phase of life with a swing program. "Better Man" naturally focuses on Robbie's wild and scandalous years and leaves out the reformed husband and crooner. "Who wants to see a boring story," says Williams, "if I want to see a biopic about a rock star, I want to see one where the protagonist pulls the coke off a dwarf's skull - metaphorically, of course."

Emotional memories
There are many emotional and upsetting scenes in the two-hour production, which also reopen some old wounds in Williams' life. The scene with his ex-girlfriend Nicole Appleton particularly got under his skin. "As her boyfriend, I was a really bad son of a bitch and when I finally learned to be a human being, I was very ashamed of my behavior. Going back to that time for the movie would have been easier if she hadn't been a nice person - unfortunately, she always was." Gracey also recalls that the former All Saints singer's "go" was a key moment. "We gave her the script, the idea and the choreography and wanted her to feel comfortable with how she was represented. Not only did she give us the go-ahead, but she took it all in her stride. I'm incredibly grateful that she was so supportive of the movie."

Robbie today: the now 50-year-old is a settled family man - but he's still good at letting his hair down.

(Bild: Paramount Pictures)

Robbie's time as a member of the boy band Take That, which made him a superstar on the one hand, but also an interpersonal creep on the other, takes up an elementary part of the film. The fights with bandmate Gary Barlow were legendary. "But my memories are also different to his," Robbie tells us, "there's Gary's view of things, my view of things and, as a third option, the truth. I'm an unpredictable character and often don't know what I'm going to say next. That makes me more unstable than my colleagues." In the age of cancel culture, Robbie Williams has created his very own niche. "In the entertainment world today, everyone is afraid of saying the wrong thing because it can happen so quickly. But I attack myself first and foremost and nobody can have a problem with that." The open display of self-irony also sets "Better Man" apart from the majority of other biopics. While stars like to see themselves in the right light, Robbie has no problem with being perceived differently.

Rollercoaster ride of emotions
"At some point I realized how stupid many things in entertainment are. Sometimes exaggerated cynicism can get very dark, you have to be careful. Anyway, I realized early on how stupid the music business is and if you're aware of it, you can play with it." Director Gracey was impressed by Robbie's candor. "The dark and heavy scenes in the movie are 100 percent true and authentic. The movie is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and Robbie often doesn't come off well. When he first saw the final product, he didn't want a single scene changed or cut. I'm very grateful to him for not only saying he wanted to come across as authentic, but for allowing that truth to come across." The various scenes are garnished with songs from Williams' oeuvre, which he sang again for the film. "I'm someone who is very narcissistic and I like to play with it," Robbie adds, "I like to be silly sometimes. Serious people annoy me."

Robbie Williams and All Saints singer Nicole Appleton: a complicated relationship.

(Bild: Paramount Pictures)

The openly flaunted rock star narrative will prevent a second part or a possible series, after all, the exciting moments in Williams' colorful life are summarized very well and compactly. What course would the Brit's life have taken if social media platforms had existed in the mid-90s? "I would have been removed from show business long ago because there are far too many ways to stigmatize my personality. You have to pull yourself out of this culture today, otherwise you go crazy. The eye of the storm is no longer on me today and I'm very happy about that."

Live in Vienna
If enjoying the biopic "Better Man" is not enough, you can also see Robbie Williams live in Austria this summer. On July 12, he will be playing Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium as part of his "Mr. Entertain You" tour and is already looking forward to it: "Austria loves me and I love the Austrians. You can definitely expect to see the greatest showman there is out there." Tickets and further information for the big concert highlight are still available at www.oeticket.com.