Initially, I wasn’t certain that I wanted to plunk down coin to see this movie.  Now, I am very glad that I did.  The reason why I was hesitant was simply because there are countless biopics about musicians who achieve fame only to be brought down by substance abuse.  As such, the lion share of the genre involves rehab, repairing relationships, and re-establishing a public persona.  Quite frankly, albeit true and inspirational, these plots/stories have had a tremendous amount of screen time and they have gotten almost “over-told.”  To Robbie Williams’ credit, he addresses this “pushback” in the trailer and rightly proclaims that HIS story will be told on film in a very DIFFERENT way (e.g. using a monkey as his avatar).  He was right – it is an innovative way of telling the story which, to be sure, makes it a very entertaining watch.

Story-wise, this movie follows the life of Williams in Northern England from the eighties up to more recent times.  The film quickly builds a firm foundation by showing us a glimpse of his close childhood relationships, particularly with his grandmother as well as a far more complex one with his father.   Wiliams achieved fame at an immature 15 years old, enlisting in the famous boy band, “Take That”.  The film moves on to his solo career amidst building relationships (e.g. work, friendships, romantic, etc.) only to endanger them later with a deep and rampant substance (e.g. cocaine and alcohol) abuse problem.  Watching the film, I kept thinking that his habit could not possibly be sustainable.  (Go to the movie to see what transpires as I am trying to keep this spoiler-free).

7:42●●● 95%

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Impressively, Williams plays himself in a way that does NOT hide his past frailties, foibles, and character flaws.  To be sure, he morphs into a rather unlikeable person, however the movie-goer will hope that he can figure out some way to deal with his persistent demons.  On a far more positive note, fans of Williams’ music will be especially thrilled such that some of his best songs are performed, mostly accompanying montages.

Anyone, like myself, who actually had the good fortune to witness the London “scene” in the nineties will “take a walk down memory lane” as the film does a simply OUTSTANDING job at recreating this world.  Attention was paid to the finest of details to give us a glimpse at this largely “pre-digital” environment.  In any case, my guess is that the majority movie-goers who have even a modicum of appreciation for Williams’ music will leave the theatre humming the tunes or perhaps hitting up videos on YouTube!

Grade: A-

Plot The meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams.