14/27
A singular profile of British pop superstar Robbie Williams.. The film arose from multiple interview recordings filmmaker Michael Gracey made with Robbie Williams during the course of a year and a half in Williams' recording studio in Los Angeles, in the United States. Although the interviews weren’t originally for a film, as Gracey "just wanted to capture [Williams] in his own voice telling his story," the majority of Williams' voiceover in the film is from those recordings.. Robbie Williams: Nigel Martin Smith was, for legal reasons, an absolute sweetheart. And a first class cunt.. Featured in The 7PM Project: Episode dated 5 December 2024 (2024). The documentary that follows the struggles of pop star Robbie Williams as he navigates his way through fame. I shall start by saying I am not a Robbie Williams fan. He’s had some great tracks out in the past, I actually know all the words to Angels, and that’s only 1 of about a dozen songs I know all the words to, 9 of them being Taylor Swift songs . But anyway, my friend wanted to see the film as she is a big Williams fan so I agreed to accompany her and boy, am I glad I did. Why is there an ape instead of Robbie Williams? Well Williams claims that fame is dogged by people expecting him to be a performing monkey. And I agree with that. You only have to watch modern chat shows to realize that all people want their stars to do is perform like a monkey for them. This is Robbie at his most truthful, telling it like it is without fear of repercussion. I like him already, as I like truthful people. This though extends into his film too. His film is not about his music, there’s only 2 or 3 tracks played the whole way through. The film is not even really about his fame directly: the film is about him. How he copes (or does not) with fame, how he copes with competition (or does not) how he copes with rejection and frustration, (or does not), how he revels in drink and drugs and how he eventually sinks so low and alienates his closest friends that he has to seek therapy to bring him back to a functioning human. It is a staggeringly honest film and he does not shirk from his mistakes, nor the mistakes of others. He does not portray himself as a victim although in some ways I think he was. He wants everyone to understand who he is, who he was, and what shaped him to this point. The cinematography is exquisite. The lighting and colors are beautiful, the dancing at times is mesmerizing: the scene in the main street that appears to have thousands of people in is just cinematic perfection. The CGI ape dances like the best dancer in the world and it is so great to watch I was actually taken aback by how beautiful it was.I now have a positive opinion of this man who can bare his soul to all and sundry and do it with panache and style and brutal honesty. I would urge anyone who likes cinema to watch this film just for the cinematic experience if nothing else. Kudos to Erik Wilson (cinematographer), beautiful work. I gave it a solid 8.