Dear Robbie Williams, are you doing okay?
Or do you think that monkey movie is a really good idea?
Robbie and I go way back. The warmest memory I have of him is of us in a shady pub where I sang along with him word for word. That he wasn't physically present in this Middelburg establishment is of course a minor detail.
I don't want to call myself a fan, I find the whole fan thing quite complicated, but Robbie's repertoire did travel back and forth with me. He was just there whether you wanted it or not. Still, to this day.
Poetic freedom
Ask my girlfriends, as soon as his Angels blasts through the speakers at a party, I get emotional. I once stood there sniffling far from charming at a very nice anniversary. Now, of course, it can be questioned whether you should play this song, but it is simply a fixed part of our friendly heritage. Let's say Robbie Williams always makes me cry. Or did, because I don't quite know what to do with the man right now.
On January 2, Robbie Williams thought it was a suitable moment to share his biographical musical film with the world. The film tells the story of his life and is portrayed by... a chimpanzee. That's at least remarkable. Or am I the only one who finds this just a bit eccentric? Nothing wrong with eccentric, of course, give yourself the poetic freedom to be just a little different from the rest, but a monkey? That's not where it stops.
A bit stunned
Robbie first identifies with this chimpanzee, people are being admitted for less these days, but secondly, he calls the film Better Man in an interview with Nu.nl his most impressive work since Angels. Dear Robbie, are you okay? I don't want to interfere with your own work, but just as well as Angels? Where the whole world is crying along? The song that even does something to you if you have no emotion in your bones? Just as well as that? I'm a bit stunned by it.
At this point, there are two possibilities. Either Rob is completely off the rails or this film is so magnificent that I need to rush to the cinema to not miss anything. I was afraid of the answer until I just watched the trailer, because is it just me or is this bizarrely genius?
To be continued, I'm off to the cinema.
