Many Americans have never heard of pop singer Robbie Williams. He was a member of popular boy group Take That before going out on his own to become a big star in the UK. This biopic takes a unique approach: His character is played by an anthropomorphic chimpanzee. Williams has said that he’s just a performing monkey and in this case, the performance is exceptional. Junno Davies plays the chimp using motion capture and his subtlety and emotion is impressive. This sentence from my review of director Michael Gracey’s last film (“The Greatest Showman”) applies here: “The choreography is sometimes clever and there are snazzy directorial touches, including a steady energy throughout.” Actually, the musical numbers may even be more impressive.  Some of the hits were re-recorded “to hit the emotion of the moment,” says Gracey and they prove tuneful and earnest. This unusual concept plays out quite effectively, with heartfelt performances, wonderful songs and a touching finale. (3.5 / 5)