39/21
A unique profile of British pop superstar Robbie Williams. The film was created from several interviews that filmmaker Michael Gracey recorded with Robbie Williams over a year and a half at Williams‘ recording studio in Los Angeles, USA. Although the interviews were not originally intended for the film, as Gracey „wanted to capture [Williams] in just his own voice, telling his story“, much of the resonance of Williams‘ voice in the film comes from these recordings. Robbie Williams: Nigel Martin Smith was a real lover for legal reasons. And a first-class sister. Watched on The 7PM Project: Episode 5 December 2024 (2024). A documentary about pop star Robbie Williams‘ struggle to rise to fame. First of all: I’m not a fan of Robbie Williams. He’s released some great songs in the past, I actually know all the words to Angels, and that’s just one of about a dozen songs I know the lyrics to, 9 of which are by Taylor Swift. But my friend wanted to see the movie because she’s a huge Williams fan, so I agreed to go with her, and I’m glad I did. Why is there a monkey instead of Robbie Williams? Well, Williams claims that fame is driven by people expecting him to be a trained monkey. And I agree with that. You only have to look at modern talk shows to realize that all people expect from their stars is to act like a monkey. This is Robbie at his most honest, speaking without fear of consequences. I already like him because I like honest people. But that also extends to his movie. His movie is not about his music, there are only 2 or 3 songs playing all the time. The movie is not even directly about his fame: the movie is about him. How he deals with fame (or not), how he deals with competition (or not), how he deals with rejection and disappointment (or not), how he becomes addicted to alcohol and drugs and how he sinks so low and his closest friends scare him that he has to go to therapy to become a functioning human being again. It’s a surprisingly honest film that doesn’t shy away from his own mistakes or the mistakes of others. He doesn’t portray himself as a victim, although in a way I believe that. He wants everyone to understand who he is, who he was and what has shaped him to this day. The camerawork is exceptional. The lighting and colors are beautiful, the dancing is sometimes mesmerizing: a scene on a main street with what seems to be thousands of people is simply cinematic perfection. A CGI monkey dances like the best dancer in the world and is so amazing to watch that I was actually surprised by how beautiful she is. I now have a positive opinion of this man who can bare his soul to anyone and everyone and does it with courage, style and brutal honesty. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves cinema, just for the cinematic experience, if for no other reason. Kudos to Erik Wilson (cinematographer), nice job. I gave it a solid 8.