Michael Gracey‘s wildly ingenious musical biopic of British celebrity entertainer Robbie Williams rolls the cube on a novel star casting choice to play Williams which efficiently separates it from each showbiz biopic that has come earlier than. A CGI monkey (actor Jonno Davies) performs the singer in what’s in any other case a recognizable cradle to a comeback story so acquainted to those that rise to the highest, solely to fall, after which to rise once more. That is the equal to casting Lassie to play Frank Sinatra. Okay, possibly not that loopy, however shut sufficient. So guess what? It actually works, even when in America the topic of this main studio movie (Paramount picked up the independently produced manufacturing) just isn’t extensively recognized, however an icon who has bought over 80 million albums throughout the remainder of the globe, and was just lately the topic of a four-part Netflix docu sequence. It had its World Premiere this weekend on the Telluride Movie Competition.
The casting idea by Gracey, director of breakout musical hit The Best Showman, got here from an off-hand comment by Williams that he felt like a “performing monkey”. Gracey took it actually, apparently, as a result of in pure Planet Of The Apes model Jonno Davies goes apeshit CGI, inhabiting the position of Williams because the star voices it and narrates his personal story simply to remind us there may be really a human being portrayed right here on this most blazingly unique concept. In any other case it’s enterprise as traditional for this style, beginning with childhood the place Robbie is one thing of an outcast who discovers his expertise for performing at school, maybe inherited from his dad Peter (Steve Pemberton), additionally a performer who left dwelling to pursue his showbiz goals when Robbie was very younger. It looks as if very quickly Robbie hits his stride, touchdown a spot because the youngest member of a boy band, Take That, who regardless of being advised boy bands are over, breaks out to develop into British pop sensations.
That is evidenced in a minimum of one of the crucial dazzling musical numbers to ever be placed on display screen the place the group performs “Rock DJ” throughout London’s Regent Avenue background merged with different locales to look seamless, ending with a mass choreographed dance finale with tons of crowding the road. Ashley Wallen is the choreographer and it rivals the freeway opening of La La Land for pure musical bliss. Williams’ solo profession can be properly represented after the poignant ouster by his band members, notably his rocking look at Knebworth and onward.
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Gracey says he was impressed by Bob Fosse and Terry Gilliam, two one-of-a-kind visualist filmmakers, and Fosse’s darkish autobiographical dreamy All That Jazz appears to be a key affect. In different fingers a Williams biopic might need been as sterile as say an Andy Williams biopic, besides the star had very darkish intervals in his life and it’s all proven right here, as Higher Man‘s center portion appears an actual downer with him falling into the rabbit gap of addictions, cocaine, sexual escapades, melancholy, failure. It nearly will get too darkish however Gracey is aware of how one can stage these acquainted biopic tropes, notably in a really Fosse-like “Come Undone” quantity that ends along with his automobile crashing into an ocean like no different. The Visible Results group ship one ace sequence after one other, all on the identical time having a CGI Monkey because the star attraction at its heart.
The usage of Williams narrating, expletives and all, his personal story by no means will get in the way in which and really appears vital in order that after a whilst you overlook the monkey gimmick and settle for it willingly. A lot of the credit score right here has to go to Davies, who could also be CGI’d within the last product, however needed to be convincing working reverse the people in all of the track and dance to dramatic moments. He doesn’t miss a beat. Gracey performs loads of it in close-ups of his eyes, a haunting impact itself. Andy Serkis would approve. The big supporting forged can be fairly superb, together with an excellent Pemberton in a key position as his father, and notably Rochelle Banno as a pop star romantically concerned with Williams till a call to have an abortion modifications issues. Veteran British actress Allison Steadman lends a lot wanted heat as Williams’ beloved Grandmother Betty, and Damon Herriman appears excellent as supervisor Nigel Martin Smith.
A manufacturing on this scale requires high notch crafts experts and Gracey has them, together with excellent cinematography from Erik A. Wilson, dazzling Manufacturing Design by Joel Chang, and colourful costumes from Cappi Eire. The aforementioned large Visible Results had been supervised by Luke Millar and viz effx producer Andy Taylor. Musically Higher Man merely soars, and in reality this movie might make Williams lastly a family title in America simply as he’s within the UK and Europe. He himself says within the movie “there is no such thing as a one who does it higher” and he could also be proper. I need the soundtrack asap.
Proper from the beginning we study the very younger Williams was dedicated to Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin, emulating that Rat Pack power, and the movie ends as he sings (and later is joined by his father, Peter) in a poignant model of a later Sinatra anthem “My Means”. Clearly that additionally applies to Robbie Williams who has all the time completed it his approach as this successful biopic confirms.
I’ve been a lifelong fan of British pop stars and the biopics or movies they spawned, proper from Richard Lester’s splendidly off the wall Beatles movie A Laborious Day’s Night time, to Cliff Richards musicals like Summer time Vacation, the Oscar-winning Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, to Elton John’s Rocketman (which Gracey Govt Produced) to even this 12 months’s underrated Again To Black with an excellent Marisa Abela portrayal of Amy Winehouse. I’m glad Gracey has now put his stamp squarely on the style and, darkish because it does get, takes it to new heights.
Producers are Paul Currie, Gracey, Coco Xiaolu Ma, Jules Daly, Craig McMahon. I additionally counted 21 Govt Producers together with Williams himself. It takes a village.
Title: Higher Man
Competition: Telluride
Distributor: Paramount Footage
Launch Date: December 25, 2024 (restricted); January 17, 2024 (large)
Director: Michael Gracey
Screenplay: Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey
Solid: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Rachelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvaney, Tom Badge, Anthony Hayes
Working Time: 2 hours and quarter-hour
