Better Man

There are no new themes in this film. It covers the brutal impact of fame, cruelty in the music industry, how desires for personal achievement can outweigh personal relationships, and the classic message that fame/money/success don't bring true happiness. 

The film covers well known themes. But it does it extremely well.

Better Man covers Robert Williams' life from a cheeky schoolboy who is bad at football (I deeply sympathised with the opening scenes of Robbie failing to be a goalkeeper) then through the ups and downs of his music careers before culminating in a reconciliation with his family and friends. The twist is that we need to see Robbie as an outsider the way he does, so he's portrayed as a chimp. This is awkward for about five minutes, and then it works because it allows Robbie to manifest clones of himself in the audience when he sings who set out all of his self-doubts. The chimp's engagement with other actors (all kept as human) quickly fades into normality, reinforcing that Robbie Williams is an outsider but he does not appear that way to anybody else; others see him as a person just like them. It helps to show how much he's internalised his fears and concerns and brings out his sense of self every time his doubts come out.

There are two villains in the film; Robbie's father, and his first manager Nigel Martin-Smith. Robbie's dad is an entertainer who leaves his family at a young age to pursue his dreams of stardom, and represents the pure form of artistic expression that's happy to play limited venues because it's his passion. And Robbie clearly sees his career success as the reason his father is willing to re-enter his life. Likewise, Nigel is presented as a menacing figure (legal conversations are mentioned) who is using Robbie for his talent and skill, and as soon as Robbie outlives his usefulness, he's cast aside to focus on the other, more reliable, members of the band. In contrast, the maternal figures in his life are stable and ever-present for Robbie, who naturally dismisses them in order to focus on drug-taking or preparing for major gigs. 

There are parts of the film that are quite jarring. The careers adviser who is dismissive of Robbie's aims, the brutal put-downs about talent, fame and worth being connected from Robbie's dad, Robbie's agent, and Robbie himself are clearly expressed. Modern messages about self-confidence, on building up self-confidence and how fame isn't everything are presented by Robbie's beloved nan. But instead Robbie is filled with envy about his girlfriend's number one, about Gary Barlow's number one, about Oasis' number one and how that drives him to progress. Envy/jealousy/hatred are powerful motivators and it's impressive that the film reflects that without needing to whitewash it out for "higher" motivations. And the cost of these motivators is made clear in all the damaged relationships Robbie's left with.

Film viewed at London Haymarket on 2nd January