Better Man

In this musical biography of British pop legend Robbie Williams, Williams is played—with startling vitality—by none other than Williams himself! Director and co-screenwriter Michael Gracey covers some familiar themes—family dysfunction, substance abuse, the hollowness of fame—with transformative energy. Working with choreographer Ashley Wallen, he’s invented some truly spectacular set pieces, and his script, done in partnership with Oliver Cole and Simon Gleeson, is rich and revealing. The superb supporting cast includes Mike Leigh regular Alison Steadman as Robbie’s devoted granny, Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton, his one true love, and Steve Pemberton as his feckless but charismatic dad. It’s a true cinematic thrill to watch Robbie and his boy-band mates discovering the splendors of London, Robbie and Nicole falling in love via an Astaire-Rogers-style dance routine, and a Wagnerian concert sequence that wraps things up in unforgettable fashion. (Telluride Film Festival)