This seems like a ridiculous idea, and for the first few minutes of the film you might well wonder what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into. But against all odds, Better Man finally reaches a point where you stop thinking there’s anything unusual going on. Somehow it works.

It would not be entirely true to say that you forget he’s a chimpanzee – he’s up there in every frame, after all – but you certainly stop seeing him as a useless attention-seeking gimmick: the justification that he’s shown that way because he’s a “cheeky monkey” and a “achieving monkey” starts out to make perfect sense, and you find yourself swept up in the pure emotion of watching Robbie’s story unfold through extreme highs and disastrous lows.

It helps that the film is more akin to the Rocketman school of recent musical biopics than that of Bohemian Rhapsody. In other words, the a multitude of hits sprinkled liberally throughout the performance, are integrated into the narrative via dynamically staged musical numbers, rather than simply performed on stage and in the studio. This gives the film a more heightened, less realistic feel that plays on its original conceit and provides all kinds of memorable moments.

He’s at his best during the inspired sequences where he truly leans into his inherent absurdity. This is particularly notable during Robbie’s performance of Let Me Entertain You at Knebworth, which transforms into something altogether more surprising that wouldn’t be out of place in a Planet of the Apes film.

But there are other great musical moments too, including a lively performance from Rock DJ on Regent Street, an inventively choreographed version of She’s the One and an intensely moving rendition of Angels.

And there are some meaty topics here, too. On the one hand, it’s not a hagiography, and the film doesn’t shy away from showing Robbie at his worst, especially by focusing on a key moment in his relationship with Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno).

But the film is also deeply empathetic about the undue pressures placed on those who become very famous at a very young age, and the lack of resources available to insulate people from the dark side of this mega-fame.

It’s a theme that seems as prescient as ever when considering both the tragedy surrounding Liam Payne’s death and the recent BBC Two documentary Boybands Forever, the broadcast of which prompted Robbie himself to write an open letter to former Take That manager Nigel Martin. Black-smith.

Better Man is by no means a perfect film. The narration provided by Robbie himself can be a little sharp, and there are times where it inevitably slips into the usual pitfalls and clichés of any musician biopic, although it’s much easier to forgive them when such an ambitious decision was made. taken at the design stage.

But what it is is an honest, entertaining and endlessly endearing show that certainly seems to go down well with audiences. And if you think the idea of ​​crying over Steve Pemberton and a monkey performing a Frank Sinatra staple sounds completely far-fetched, then think again. Forget the bad guy, This is the 2024 movie musical.

Better Man is released in UK cinemas on Boxing Day.

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