Movies & TV / Reviews
Piece by Piece Review
Image Credit: Focus Features
Loading...
Directed By: Morgan Neville
Written By: Morgan Neville, Oscar Vazquez, Aaron Wickenden, and Jason Zeldes
Runtime: 93 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG for language, some suggestive material, and thematic elements.
Pharrell Williams – Self
Jay Z – Self
Pusha T – Self
Missy Elliott – Self
Gwen Stefani – Self
Snoop Dogg – Self
Kendrick Lamar – Self
Justin Timberlake – Self
Teddy Riley – Self
Busta Rhymes – Self
Timbaland – Self
N.O.R.E. – Self
Piece by Piece presents a unique twist on the documentary feature. The film showcases the life and career of the music artist Pharrell Williams using LEGO Animation. Piece by Piece is an official LEGO animated feature mashed up with a documentary narrative using Pharrell as its subject. However, Piece by Piece doesn’t contain a single frame of live-action footage. It’s entirely animated. The interludes are animated with LEGO pieces. The various anecdotes are animated with LEGO pieces. Even the testimonial interview segments are brought to life using LEGO pieces. The format works to the film’s benefit, highlighting Pharrell’s spark of inspiration, creativity, and boundless imagination.
Filmmaker Morgan Neville wisely maintains a strong focus on Pharrell, who eloquently shares his life story, growing up in the Atlantis Apartment projects in Virginia Beach, Virginia. At an early age, Pharrell realized he was a different breed, and the burgeoning artist eventually discovered music as his creative outlet. He grew up with other musically talented individuals who would later become prominent stars in the music scene, such as Pusha T, Missy Elliott, and Chad Hugo. They’d spend their free time creating and playing beats in the room over Chad’s garage, with Pharrell and Chad eventually forming the Neptunes.
When Teddy Riley opens up a music studio in Pharrell’s hometown, Pharrell sees it as an opportunity to pursue his dream. Riley discovers the Neptunes at a high school talent show, signing Pharrell and Hugo to their first music contract. From there, Pharrell seeks bigger and better things, wanting to write and produce his own music. After a period of grinding, the Neptunes’ careers begin taking off, with the biggest stars in the music business wanting to work with them, producing hit records for artists such as Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Justin Timberlake, who all make appearances in the feature in the form of LEGO mini-figures.
Despite the Neptunes’ meteoric rise in the industry, Pharrell experiences periods of doubt and creative stagnation, such as after releasing the hit track “Frontin'” with Jay-Z. The film explores Pharrell’s hesitancy in creating solo music, experiencing a level of self-doubt that feels incredibly relatable.
The LEGO animated style of Piece by Piece offers a wildly imaginative experience. Animating Pharrell’s life story through LEGO pieces infuses the story with a unique, vibrant, and creative life. Throughout the film, it looks like Pharrell’s abstract thoughts come together in reality, becoming a type of pop art. Pharrell’s songs, or “beats,” are visualized throughout the film as unique modern art pieces. These objects give the beats a physical form and a new type of inner life. In one special sequence, Pharrell goes through his archive of beats and shares a simple, translucent object that looks almost like a cassette tape. Pharrell reveals he originally created the beat for the artist Prince, who turned it down. The song just wasn’t ready at the time. However, when Pharrell takes the song and revitalizes it as “Frontin’,” the beat takes a dynamic form and finds a new life.
Morgan Neville and the animation teams Pure Imagination Studios and Zebu Animation Studios create uniquely fun spins on the various interview subjects’ anecdotes throughout the animated journey. When Chad and Pharrell meet Snoop Dogg for the first time, Snoop’s office becomes enveloped in a smoky haze. The LEGO characters then start spraying the room with conveniently green aerosol cans, and the characters begin experiencing a buzz-like high in one of the film’s most hilarious moments. The highly detailed LEGO animation never looks dull, and Neville always maintains a crisp sense of pacing.
Despite the movie’s sharp pacing, certain subjects could have used further elaboration. The film rushes past any dramatic low points for Pharrell. There’s one sequence depicted where it appears Pharrell is being taken advantage of by greedy corporate executive types, visualized by parasitic individuals wearing black suits nicknamed “Shoulda,” “Coulda,” and “Woulda.” These individuals negatively influence Pharrell, who spreads himself too thin and experiences a creative slump. He temporarily splits up with his girlfriend, and now wife Helen Lasichanh and the Neptunes also break up.
The details of these periods are very vague. It sounds like names are left out to avoid any problematic legal issues. The sequences avoid a more legitimate account of why the Neptunes broke up their partnership, and it feels like the real story never comes to light. Based on the film’s account, it appears Pharrell went through a creative slump and was distracted by various other projects in his life. These moments are when Piece by Piece plays more like a glossy puff piece and a less honest portrayal of Pharrell’s genuine life story.
Regardless, Piece by Piece provides a riveting, entertaining animated experience. Pharrell’s depiction of his life story through the lens of LEGO animation offers a peek into his spark of inspiration. The wondrous LEGO pieces showcase how Pharrell honors his roots in hip-hop and skateboard culture but also adapts to multiple styles. He’s a true multi-hyphenate and modern-day iconoclast.
