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Piece by Piece Review
Image Credit: Focus Features
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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 utilizes LEAAGO Animation to showcase the life and career of the music artist Pharrell Williams. Piece by Piece is an official LEGO animated feature mashed up with a documentary narrative with Pharrell as its subject. However, Piece by Piece is entirely animated and does not contain a single frame of live-action footage. The interludes, anecdotes, and even the testimonial interview segments are brought to life with 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 would 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 an opportunity to pursue his dream. Riley discovers the Neptunes at a high school talent show and signs 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 take 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 appear 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, exemplified by a lack of solo work after the release of the hit track “Frontin'” with Jay-Z. The film explores Pharrell’s hesitancy to create solo music and a level of self-doubt and lack of confidence 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 appears that 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 highlights 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 was not 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 vivacity.
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. Then, the LEGO characters start spraying the room with conveniently green aerosol cans, and in one of the film’s most hilarious moments, the characters begin experiencing a buzz-like high. The highly detailed LEGO animation never looks dull, and Neville consistently maintains a crisp sense of pacing.
Despite the movie’s sharp pacing, certain subjects could have benefitted from further elaboration. The film rushes past some dramatic low points for Pharrell. In one sequence, 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 current wife, Helen Lasichanh, and the breakup of the Neptunes ensues.
The details of these periods are very vague, and the omission of names is meant to avoid any problematic legal issues. The sequences avoid a more legitimate account of why the Neptunes broke up their partnership, which feels like the real story never comes to light. Based on the film’s account, it appears Pharrell experienced a creative slump and was distracted by other projects in his life. In those moments, Piece by Piece plays more like a glossy puff piece and a less honest portrayal of Pharrell’s genuine life story.
Regardless of its flaws, 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.
