The musical biopic has turn out to be one thing of a style unto itself. As Stroll Exhausting: The Dewey Cox Story so hilariously identified, almost each biographical movie a couple of music star follows primarily the identical story. Regardless of this reality, most of the latest biopics of this sort have continued to comply with the method. Higher Man, the biographical movie about pop star Robbie Williams, it should be mentioned, in the end is that very same story. Nonetheless, it should even be mentioned that no biopic has ever been advised fairly like this.
Higher Man
Launch Date: December 25, 2024
Directed By: Michael Gracey
Written By: Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey
Starring: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Raechelle Banno
Ranking: Rated R for drug use, pervasive language, sexual content material, nudity and a few violent content material.
Runtime: 134 minutes
Minimize right down to a primary abstract of the plot, Higher Man is similar as virtually each biopic you have ever seen a couple of well-known musician. They turn out to be well-known, they sit on the prime of the world, they bask in medication and/or alcohol and/or intercourse considerably greater than they need to, they crash again right down to earth, after which they discover their redemption. Nonetheless, solely describing the plot of Higher Man doesn’t correctly put together one for the extent of madness that this film reaches.
Higher Man separates itself out of your common musical biopic in a few alternative ways. The primary is that the topic of the movie was straight concerned within the film’s manufacturing. Williams sings newly recorded variations of a few of his songs, in addition to a totally authentic composition. The opposite main distinction is that the position of Robbie Williams is not performed by an actor who merely resembles the star, at the least not technically, as the principle character of this film is a CGI chimpanzee.
Higher Man’s CGI chimp detracts from the story till it does not.
Michael Gracey beforehand directed The Biggest Showman with Hugh Jackman, a biopic about P.T. Barnum that by no means let the reality about P.T. Barnum stand in the way in which of telling a great story, and thus was maybe probably the most practical biopic of P.T. Barnum one might presumably create. With Higher Man, Gracey takes issues a step additional by eradicating the fact of the topic of the movie totally.
In an completely exceptional, fully weird, and mildly complicated, resolution, whereas each different actor in Higher Man is a human being, Robbie Williams is portrayed as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee. At no level does the film comment on this, and an indirect rationalization solely comes close to the top of the story. It merely occurs. Your most important character is a chimp, now let’s get began.
To make sure, the choice to have your most important character have the face of a chimp and have no person comment on this reality is a bit of bit unusual, at the least on the outset. Finally, nevertheless, as you do with any CGI character in a film, your mind settles in, suspends disbelief, and lets the story transfer ahead. As soon as that occurs, Higher Man does really start to separate itself out of your common biopic.
Higher Man’s blends actuality and the surreal in a compelling approach.
The film has been known as a musical, and whereas there are totally choreographed track and dance numbers within the movie, there are only some – not almost as many as one would anticipate out of your common musical. These sequences are a spotlight, the place director Michael Gracey is ready to present probably the most creativity.
The numbers are largely CGI-driven affairs, however contemplating your most important character, that is really a profit. The CGI chimp permits for some extremely wild sequences, not merely within the songs but additionally in different elements of the film issues get downright surreal. At one level Williams is actually battling with himself and his personal self-doubt. Moments like this seemingly wouldn’t have labored as effectively if we have been coping with a completely human protagonist. Whereas Williams often is the solely CGI character within the movie, the unreality that comes with that permeates your entire film.
Whereas Higher Man is the Robbie Williams present, and thus is primarily a showcase for Williams himself, in addition to Jonno Davies, who’s the person behind the monkey on display, there are additionally a number of human characters value paying attention to. Probably the most important of them is Steve Pemberton, who performs Robbie’s father Peter. Right here, as with a lot of Higher Man, the film is each a trope and a subversion of it. Peter is a neglectful father who withholds the love his son so desperately wants. However he’s not solely that. There may be extra to the characterization, which makes the efficiency extra advanced than it at first seems.
Robbie Williams’ story doesn’t maintain again on the star’s darker moments.
If there is a potential pitfall in having your topic straight concerned in your biopic, it is the potential to downplay the extra detrimental components of 1’s life. As one who is just not straight aware of the main points of Robbie Williams’ private historical past to any nice diploma, I am unable to converse as to if or not Higher Man does this. Nonetheless, contemplating how darkish the film can get, and the way it’s keen to color Williams because the “dangerous man” on multiple event, it is tough to think about that the story is downplaying a lot of something.
And within the darker moments of the story, the efficiency of the lead character really turns into spectacular. Watching a CGI chimp doing arduous medication and going via the rehab that follows it runs a big danger of trying so ridiculous that it loses its emotional weight. However Higher Man is dedicated, and by the point you get to the darker moments, you might be as invested within the story Robbie Williams – nevertheless he could look
Higher Man‘s wild premise seemingly will not work for everyone, and when you take it away, all you’ve got is similar biopic format we have all seen 100 instances. I did not suppose it will work for me and but I discovered myself fully enthralled all through. It balances the true story and complicated emotional problems with actual folks with a visible type that we have actually by no means seen on this form of film earlier than.