Nobody Someday review

Rock documentaries or, if you will, rockumentaries, were never quite the same after Rob Reiner's hilarious Spinal Tap. After that band's Stonehenge incident, their disastrous air base gig and the horrors of being reduced to supporting a puppet show, any real rockumentaries had to measure up - - or rather down - - to Tap's level of entertainment.

Rest assured then, that despite focusing on an entertainer who describes himself as "a boring, sober pop star", Nobody Someday has plenty of Tap-esque moments. Indeed, after one massive on-stage cock-up leaves the band trapped behind the curtains, Robbie's exasperated guitarist says to the camera: "Have you seen Spinal Tap!? This was worse..."

But what really makes Nobody Someday worth while, even for those who don't shriek their lungs dry at every glimpse of the boy Williams, is the fact that Robbie gives director Brian Hill unlimited access. Right from the start he admits he's bored of touring, he's bored of all his songs ("`Angel'? Crap song. I hate it"'), and he despises the way he looks on stage ("'My dancing's like a Tourette's syndrome of panto movements"'). Furthermore, as a recovering coke-and-booze addict, he can't even join in all the backstage fun, making do with a glass of mineral water and a game of Uno instead.

But it's not all "poor little rich me" celebrity whining. There are plenty of laughs, most courtesy of Williams himself, who can't resist playing up to the camera. Throughout, he's sincere enough not to be irritating, and amusing enough not to lose our sympathy. Hill, meanwhile, never sidesteps, shirks or sanitises, simply showing us a pop icon at both his best and his worst. Watch it, and be reminded just how bizarre celebrity can be.