Better Man review: The Robbie Williams monkey biopic works far better than you might think

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy If Superman made us believe a man can fly, then Better Man makes us believe a CGI chimp can convincingly convey the agony and ecstasy of pop star Robbie Williams. The singing of CGI chimp Williams is done by the man himself, but he’s otherwise brought to life by actor Jonno Davies via mo-cap magic and the talented digital effects artists at Wētā FX, who have collectively spent so much time animating primates for the recent Planet of the Apes film series that it must be second nature to them now. Because of Williams’s close involvement, it’s married entirely to his own read on his life, which is psychoanalytically straightforward but sturdy: his negligent father Peter had thwarted ambitions of stardom, and revered the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin – so little Robert Williams totalled his own life purely so he could “feel real love” from his pa, just like he sings about. Monkey business: Jonno Davies as Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ Yet the unexpected advantage here is that, when Williams wants to be truly upfront about his struggles, that veneer of fantasy shields us from the more harrowing details of his life, so that we can confront them yet still enjoy that “right f***ing entertaining”.