A scene from ‘Better Man’ Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

I doubt if there could be a more epic biopic this festive season (no pun intended, seriously) better manwhich is the greatest showman-Producer Michael Gracey’s captivating film on the life of British pop star Robbie Williams.

Let’s start with this first: better man Isn’t this the pioneering film that tells you the answers to the mysteries of the universe? In its chassis, this adrenaline-pumping musical biopic simply tells an all-too-familiar story of an out-of-control artist and his cocaine-fueled slide in and out of the mountains of indifference, addiction, heartbreak, fame, and insecurity.

but then what elevated better man One of the most fun experiences I had at the opening night of the 55th International Film Festival of India was this: it’s a complete musical with amazing choreography and ancient-looking set-pieces. Secondly, Gracie displays extraordinary control over a narrative that moves in and out of reality and fantasy. And, as you might have guessed, the central character is a CGI-generated monkey, voiced by Williams and Jono Davis, and completely enacted by Davis thanks to motion capture.

According to the promo, all this banter seemed to be just a gimmick. better manBut then this is the specialty of the biopic that is also its most courageous attempt. As he said in a message before the screening, Gracie took the seed of the idea from how Williams viewed himself as a less developed human being growing up. better man Doesn’t take it as a joke but instead uses it to highlight the humor and irony in everything surrounding Williams.

Thanks to the voice acting and cool CGI magic that captures subtle expressions and physical movements, mere minutes into the movie, you really suspended the fact that it was a monkey. If anything, it’s only a credit to Michael Gracey’s film, co-written with Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole, that it’s a true attempt at the human element at its core. The script manages to hit most of the emotional beats hard.

It all starts when Robbie Williams was no longer Robbie Williams, but simply Robert, a kid who lives with his nan (Alison Steadman) and mum (Kate Mulvaney) in the underbelly of Stoke-on-Trent, and it’s… Wants if he has ‘it’ What his father (Steve Pemberton) said (before leaving him) is that all superstars are born with it. He is bullied all around and shunned by his friends, but even as a child, Robert displays a talent for putting on a show. As a teenager, he gained a foothold in the music industry after becoming a part of the hot and new boy band, Take That. Fasten your seatbelt, out of here, better man Rocket in the night sky.

Gracey’s explosive style of filmmaking makes each musical set piece – one more sublime than the next – worthy of counting. A similar sequence follows Take That, who acquire a new record label with the help of their manager Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman). The scene where Robbie meets his girlfriend, All Saints singer Nicole Appleton (Rachel Banno), is gorgeously shot and choreographed; A routine meeting on a yacht has been blown straight out of the Disney handbook after Robbie is humiliated in Take That. With every song, you wonder if Gracie just wanted to spend more money and test the limits of how outlandish it could be.

A scene from ‘Better Man’ Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

It would certainly take courage and conviction to say, let’s take a musical to its unconventional heights, not because it can be done, but because it must be done. This is a movie that either works for you or it doesn’t; Regardless, it’s undeniably fantastic. In one example, the sound of a toilet flushing in the background is depicted as Williams sipping a drink. Madness reaches its peak planet of the Apes-esque sequence where Robbie sings in Knebworth Park, the landmark concert that cemented his status as the pop star of the ages.

Then again, while this is the most unusual of biopics, is it the most poignant portrayal of a troubled man? I am unsure. Some emotional beats are opaque, such as why Williams couldn’t move on from himself and improve his relationship with Nicole. But then, when you wonder how a real-life pop star could trust a filmmaker’s foresight to delve so deeply into her troubles, while exposing her vulnerabilities, better man Victory is enough.

Better Man was the opening film of the 55th International Film Festival of India