A Better Man * * * *

Good film, no monkeying around.

Like Taylor Swift, Robbie Williams is a name I recognise, but that's about all. The endless news reports on them make them unavoidable, but I wouldn't know one of their songs if it ran me over on the freeway. 

Anyway, I'd heard about this biopic of Robbie Williams and how he is played by a monkey which is a pretty unique idea to say the least.  It actually works. At the end of the film I felt informed about Robbie Williams, where he came from and why he is famous.  I even got to know a couple of his songs, along with his rendition of classics like "Land of a Thousand Dances" and "I did it my way"

It's not a real monkey of course; it's just a monkey's head on a man's body - all done with CGI.  Talking of CGI and special effects etc, some of the choreography is so visually spectacular you're ready to forgive the cheating behind it.  

The editing and moving from scene to scene is so extreme yet so lucid it's worth going to see for that alone. 

The full story of his life is on display including his downfall when drugs got the better of him. And monkey or not, it is quite touching, especially as he fights to overcome his inner demons. 

Like  Amy Winehouse (Back to Black) and Elton John (Rocketman), the influence of Nana is not to be underestimated. 

I honestly didn't know anything about Robbie Williams, now I do. As well as being clever and entertaining as a biopic A Better Man does it's job.