Piece by Piece, 2024.
Directed by Morgan Neville.
Featuring the voice talents of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Helen Williams, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Morgan Neville, Daft Punk, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Pusha T, N.O.R.E., and Oprah Winfrey.
SYNOPSIS:
A vibrant journey through the life of Pharrell Williams, told through the lens of LEGO animation.
One recoils imagining how vapid and self-serving Piece by Piece would have been without the gimmick of telling music producer/singer sensation Pharrell Williams’s life story in LEGO animation. Even director Morgan Neville (a documentary filmmaker once beloved for his emotionally draining Fred Rogers portrait Won’t You Be My Neighbor, before getting caught up in some Anthony Bourdain deepfake voice controversy and now this experimental take on the artform) seems completely thrown off during the LEGO reenactment of Pharrell suggesting to him that it has to be done in this style to capture the vibrancy in which he sees the world and talent all around him, not to mention his synesthesia.
However, once the film gets past some awkwardly forced and unnecessary moments of interview subjects (ranging from friends to fellow collaborators and his wife) presented as LEGOs yet acting as if they are real people in real environments before the conversation starts, there are ample opportunities to use music to bring this animated world to life. Whenever a hot beat is discussed, it is a glowing, pulsating, shiny object barely containing the majestic sounds within.
As the documentary follows Pharrell Williams’s journey from falling in love with music to amassing fame within his band, The Neptunes, guest musical icons pop in to mostly say nothing of note beyond how brilliant of a mind he has and how wonderful it was collaborating. Thankfully, there are amusing LEGO recreations of music videos to distract from such hollow worship. Since the songs are typically catchy and bonafide hits, the documentary successfully functions as a pleasant jukebox musical. There is also a genuinely mind-blowing fun fact once in a while, such as that Pharrell Williams is responsible for the current McDonald’s jingle.
There is a point in the film (right before the solo career takes off) where Pharrell Williams admits to being arrogant. Complete with beautiful LEGO animation of the singer lost at sea and on the verge of drowning in his flaws and mistakes, lacking direction in life (probably because he seems to have been obsessed with self-image, branding, and chasing popularity the entire time, whether through music or fashion design rather than staying true to himself), it feels as if the documentary might go somewhere reflective and compelling. The answer is a resounding no, cramming in other rushed topics before a grand finale of endlessly clichéd inspirational word vomit. Apparently, that arrogant realization didn’t stick.
Still, despite the tone-deaf material, there is much fun to be had here with the colorful and dazzling animation, whether it is re-creating people, music, childhood neighborhoods, or even the occasional moving moment. However, as an actual study of its subject, Piece by Piece is empty and mostly exists as an excuse for several top musicians to show up and puff him up for a few minutes at a time. By the end, there is only a surface-level understanding of who he is, and even that is a fairly generic read that doesn’t quite put all the pieces together satisfactorily.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
