Entertainment has always been Robbie Williams’ passion. In “Better Man,” he continues to do it.

In his new biopic, “Better Man,” music sensation Robbie Williams narrates, “I came out of the womb with jazz hands.” “It caused my mother a lot of pain.”

Dum Badum.

But, wow, too. What a picture to depict a man who, as we find out, suffered from a young age about whether he possessed “it”—the celebrity trait that would enable him to achieve fame.

As it happens, he did. Williams made 14 No. 1 singles and performed to yelling crowds, making him the biggest performer in his own country of Britain (albeit he never achieved momentum in the United States). The important thing to take away from filmmaker Michael Gracey’s blustery, bold, and occasionally completely insane biopic is that Williams’ urge to entertain was so fundamental that it overcame addiction, melancholy, and self-doubt. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that this video, which is produced and narrated by Williams (who is now 50), is primarily an enjoyable one.

But hold on, you could be asking: You haven’t brought up the monkey in five paragraphs?

Well said. You see, the main idea of Gracey’s film is that Williams is portrayed throughout by a monkey, specifically a computer-generated image (CGI) monkey, whose movements and voice are provided by actor Jonno Davies. This choice is never discussed or even mentioned.

However, one of Williams’ opening statements—”I want to show you how I really see myself”—contains a hint. Gracey spent many hours interviewing Williams on tape, which served as the basis for his movie. He claims that at one point, while he was in his teens and a member of the boy band Take That, the pop star told him that he felt like a monkey sent out to entertain the crowds. Gracey came up with the idea and decided to pursue it.

We start in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in 1982. Young Robert Williams is cruelly teased and has poor football skills. However, he clarifies that football is not ingrained in his DNA. Cabaret is a thing.

His father is the source of his performance itch. Little Robert leaps up to join Dad (Steve Pemberton, great) in singing along when Sinatra sings “My Way” on television. One day, however, Dad simply leaves the house permanently since he is more concerned with performing than with raising a family. His mother and his loving grandma, who tell him he’s a somebody and not a nobody, rear Robert.

Robert, who is 15 years old and struggling in school, tries out for the boy band Take That and somehow gets accepted. The band initially performs at homosexual clubs before it becomes apparent that girls are smitten with these young men.

The director of “The Greatest Showman,” Gracey, is a true showman, as seen by a fantastic musical scene that follows the band’s rise to fame. The song, which was filmed on London’s Regent Street to Williams’ smash song “Rock DJ” and had over 500 extras, opens with the guys hardly recognized by onlookers, signifying the beginning of their fame. With explosive choreography, pogo sticks, scooters, and London buses, Gracey depicts their ascent to popularity. It culminates in a flash mob with hundreds of people dancing on the renowned street.

And because the band’s astute manager, Nigel, changed his name, Robert will always be Robbie. His grandma (a heartwarming Alison Steadman), confused by the excitement, says, “Where’s my Robert gone?” He responds, “Now I’m a pop star.”

However, Robbie faces numerous challenges as a result of his fame. He will later observe that fame freezes your age, thus he never makes it past the age of 15. He becomes depressed and starts abusing cocaine and alcohol.

However, his competitive fire is fanned when the band fires him, and he plans to have a “massive” solo career. At a New Year’s celebration, a woman who happens to be Nicole Appleton of the girl band All Saints overhears him muttering this to himself. “She’s the One,” another of Gracey’s spectacular song and dance pieces, discusses their tumultuous relationship, which includes an abortion.

In the end, Nicole leaves Williams (for Oasis’s Liam Gallagher), which contributes to the singer’s terrible period during which he manages to ruin the majority of his relationships. However, he performs for some 375,000 devoted admirers at the legendary Knebworth Festival, marking the apex of his career.

A bloody, medieval-style conflict between the singer and his demons—basically, other (monkey) versions of him—is used by Gracey to break up scenes of Williams performing. It’s another extravagant scene that sets this biopic apart from others, but one that is a little too protracted and indulgent.

Hey, it’s all for the same purpose. Throughout every moment, Williams seems to be yelling, “Let me entertain you.” He is generally successful.

The Motion Picture Association has given the Paramount film “Better Man” a R rating due to “drug use, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity, and some violent content.” 135 minutes of running time. Four stars out of three.