Robbie Williams to Make Surprise Musical Performance of Original Song From ‘Better Man’ After TIFF Monday Screening (EXCLUSIVE)
The Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man,” in which the British singer plays himself as a CGI monkey, will make its debut Monday at the Toronto International Film Festival.
According to multiple sources with direct knowledge, Williams will give a surprise musical performance at an intimate post-screening party at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto. He is expected to sing “Forbidden Road,” an original song from the film that will be among the submissions for Oscars.
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Williams, an English singer and songwriter, first rose to fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995. He launched his solo career in 1996, achieving success with hits like “Angels.”
The film had its world premiere over Labor Day weekend at the Telluride Film Festival, where Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge praised its technical feats, writing: “…the musical maestro adds ridiculously complicated technical challenges to his résumé — like the jaw-dropping ‘Rock DJ’ number staged on London’s busy Regent Street, shot over four days and stitched together to look like a single unbroken take, or the ‘Come Undone’ sequence where he speeds away from the boy-band breakup, nearly crashes into an oncoming bus, and plunges into a sea of paparazzi.”
Directed by Michael Gracey, best known for the box office smash “The Greatest Showman,” the film offers a fresh and entertaining take on the music biopic genre. Williams voices a walking, talking ape in a performance that recalls something from “Planet of the Apes.”
“Better Man* will have a limited release by Paramount Pictures on Christmas Day, with a wider release to follow.
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