If the director of The Greatest Showman taking on the Robbie Williams story sounds insufferable, you needn’t fear as this audacious effort stands out in a crowd of bland biopics. What could have been for die-hard fans only, is elevated into something with grit, wit and razzamatazz as Williams becomes a computer-generated chimpanzee, impressively brought to life by actor Jonno Davies using motion capture. Although Williams narrates and acts as executive producer, he hasn’t exactly been given an easy ride here by writer-director Michael Gracey and fellow screenwriters Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole, with the film on the whole feeling pretty unflattering.

Steve Pemberton is superbly cast as Williams’ selfish and slippery dad Peter, with Alison Steadman his kindly nan, and Damon Herriman exuding malevolence as Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith. The film follows the singer from his scrappy schooldays, through his tumultuous original stint with the aforementioned boyband and descent into addiction, before showing how he eventually came out swinging, Sinatra-style, on the other side.

It’s surprising how quickly you forget to gawp at the chimp; this is an inspired idea that not only emphasises Williams’ cheekiness but his imposter syndrome, immaturity, ego and alienation, as well as his destructive, almost animalistic tendencies. At 134 minutes, the film feels a tad on the long side, with its admirable energy and oddball charm flagging through its final act. Nevertheless, Better Man is swaggering, frank and enjoyably sweary, there are some spectacular musical set-pieces and its subject’s humble Stoke-On-Trent origins are rendered with character and warmth. You’ll have to sit through an awful lot of Robbie Williams songs but, then again, you can hardly complain about that.

Better Man is in cinemas from Thursday 26 December.