Piece by Piece
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Piece by Piece movie review
In Piece by Piece, a hybrid musical-docu-biopic set in the Lego universe, director Morgan Neville takes on the life of Pharrell Williams, a subject seemingly perfect for the colorful, imaginative world of animation. Pharrell's music, known for its playful and genre-blending style, feels like it should naturally lend itself to this medium. However, despite its rich concept, the film ultimately falls short of capturing the complexity and energy of its subject.
Neville, best known for his work in documentary filmmaking, uses familiar visual storytelling techniques right from the start. The film opens with a behind-the-scenes feel, following a Lego Pharrell (voiced by Pharrell himself) as he prepares to tell his life story to a Lego version of Neville. What begins as a personal interview quickly transitions into a dreamlike origin story where Pharrell imagines himself as a baby sea creature before washing ashore in Virginia Beach. It’s a whimsical beginning, but the film quickly slips into the more formulaic structure typical of music biopics—tracing Pharrell’s rise to fame, his collaborations with notable artists, and the challenges of managing his multifaceted career.
The film brings viewers through Pharrell’s early years in Virginia, his creative partnerships with Pusha T, Missy Elliott, Chad Hugo, and others, and his eventual success working with stars like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and Justin Timberlake. Iconic music videos, such as "Hollaback Girl" and "Drop It Like It’s Hot," are recreated in Lego form, but these sequences fail to add much beyond novelty. While the Lego animation seems like a natural fit for Pharrell's vibrant personality, it doesn’t elevate the story in a meaningful way. The animation lacks the kind of inventiveness that could have made these recreations truly pop.
One of the film’s biggest drawbacks is its overly sanitized portrayal of Pharrell's life. The movie tries to present challenges—his struggle with overcommitment and his trusting nature—but these conflicts feel surface-level, leaving much of Pharrell's depth unexplored. While there are fleeting moments of Pharrell's inner life represented through bursts of colorful, synesthesia-like visuals, these feel too few and far between. Most of the film remains grounded in a narrative that’s too safe, too controlled, and lacking in genuine emotional stakes.
In addition, the film glosses over significant aspects of Pharrell’s journey. His early music deal with producer Teddy Riley is mentioned, but there’s no explanation of how he and his collaborators eventually extricated themselves from it. Pharrell’s parents are depicted as comic relief, but we learn very little about their influence on him. Even Pharrell's songwriting process, an inherently creative and fascinating subject, is boiled down to a simplistic metaphor involving Lego blocks.
The question of audience also looms large over Piece by Piece. The frequent use of expletives suggests the film isn’t aimed at children, yet the Lego aesthetic seems mismatched for an adult audience. The film tries to strike a balance between playful animation and more mature themes but struggles to appeal to either demographic fully. Its humor is sporadic, and its attempts at depth often fall flat, making the movie feel like it’s stuck between two worlds.
Ultimately, Piece by Piece has all the building blocks for a great film—a compelling subject, a unique visual approach, and a director with a strong documentary background—but it never quite clicks into place. The result is a movie that feels incomplete, struggling to do justice to its vibrant, multifaceted subject. While Pharrell's fans may enjoy the nostalgic callbacks to his music and career, the film’s lack of emotional depth and inventive storytelling leaves too much to be desired.
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