I was as bemused as everyone else when I heard that we were getting a Robbie Williams biopic, doubly so when it was revealed that Robbie himself would be presented in the form of a monkey. It’s no surprise to see how poorly this performed outside the UK, certainly not now I am aware of how relatively unknown the central figure is outwith the UK, but it is a pleasant surprise to find out that a) this is really good, and b) the whole gimmick really works in service of how the story is told.
The film has input from Robbie Williams himself, but also boasts a fine vocal performance from Jonno Davies (who, for the most part, gives us a singing monkey perfectly in line with how Robbie sounded in his heyday). We see most of his life, from his early days living with his gran (Alison Steadman) and being taught a dangerous lesson about the “gift” of celebrity by his father (Steve Pemberton) to his time in Take That, a time when he achieved huge fame at a very young age, to that difficult journey of re-establishing himself as a solo performer. And all through this rollercoaster, Robbie finds himself coping with a mix of excessive alcohol and numbing drug use.
Directed by Michael Gracey (helmer of the very successful The Greatest Showman), who also co-wrote the screenplay with Oliver Cole and Simon Gleeson, based on the tale as told by Williams, this is an enjoyably wild and turbulent ride through the funhouse that is celebrity life. Viewers get to see the poisoned chalice handed to Williams, arguably tainted by his own father shaping his need for constant attention and validation, and the many familiar moments, for those who have followed even some of Williams’ career, are balanced with scenes of depth and darkness that were hidden away from the public eye while the singer was seriously spiraling. He has since been very open and honest about his lowest lows, but it is still shocking to see them displayed onscreen, even (especially?) with the main character being depicted in simian form.
The effects department do fantastic work, and that “casting” makes it easier for moments in which our lead glimpses various past incarnations of himself, but it’s still worth praising both Williams and Davies for their vocal turns. Steadman and Pemberton are also deserving of equal praise, playing the people who end up casting huge shadows over the life of Robbie. Where the film stumbles is in some of the other casting. I somehow didn’t mind the casting of Take That, or manager Nigel Martin Smith, perhaps because I could more easily accept them as one organic mass, but I was taken out of the movie slightly when a few scenes featured the likes of Nicole Appleton and the Gallagher brothers (the latter portrayed by actors who seem to be doing poor impressions rather than proper portrayals, although that is probably just down to the Gallagher brothers being just as constantly laughable as they have always appeared to me).
What really disappoints is the lack of impressive musical numbers though. Some of the expected Robbie hits do make an appearance, and they are suitably rearranged to match the visuals they are accompanying, but there are only one or two sequences that come close to fully realising the potential of the material. Rock DJ ends up being a highlight that is never matched, but there are some unexpectedly beautiful and moving moments soundtracked by ballads that could have easily been eye-rollingly cheesy.
I would risk saying that, whether your are familiar with the main character or not, this is worth a watch. Fans, both past and present, will get a bit more out of it, but it does enough cinematically to make it interesting enough for those who might even just assume it is pure fiction. It’s kind of like those dark (and forgotten?) David Essex movies from the 1970s. But with a monkey.
7/10
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