Robbie Williams fans have been given their first proper glimpse of one of history’s strangest biopics – a retelling of his rise to fame with the Stoke pop singer, played by a CGI monkey.

Better Man, which opens in Britain on Boxing Day, is directed by Michael Gracey, who helmed The Greatest Showman and turned it into a hit that grossed $435 million in the charts.

His new film follows Williams – played by actor Jonno Davies via motion capture technology – as he goes from a troubled childhood to boy band success with Take That and then to solo superstardom: eleven of his twelve studio albums have topped the UK charts, as well as three greatest hits compilations, and he holds the record for the most British awards, with 13. Along the way, the film reportedly doesn’t shy away from portraying his animal side, including drug problems and repulsive star behavior.

Better Man played at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, with The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee giving it a positive review at the latter. “From afar it sounded like an intensely annoying gimmick, perhaps fitting for an entertainer who can often be intensely annoying himself, but the film… is a surprise winner,” he wrote. “It’s not just Gracey’s electric style and central gimmick that makes Better Man feel like an upgrade, it’s also Williams’ disarming honesty and the way he’s portrayed himself.”

With Williams speaking in voiceover, the trailer showcases Gracey’s talent for a song-and-dance number with shots of an extended sequence under Christmas lights on London’s Regent Street – as well as a light-hearted, very Williams-esque attitude towards profanity.

Other reviews were also positive, with Variety writing: “Against all odds, that gimmick works, setting the project apart from so many other pop star hagiographies… if you want to see a chimpanzee doing coke with Oasis, or an ill-fated handjob for manager Nigel Martin Smith (played by Damon Herriman), this is your movie.