Piece By Piece Review
It’s certainly an odd choice to make a documentary on Pharrell Williams in LEGO, and it’s one that has both pros and cons.
Telling the life story of Pharrell Williams, Piece by Piece is a unique biopic documentary that blends a relatively well-trodden origin story with an initially unique visual aesthetic - all of the characters and action are in LEGO!
Pharrell Williams is the focus of this documentary, and while the crazy choice to make it all in LEGO certainly makes some parts of this film feel fresh (the artist imagining the music as explosive colour, or the ability to re-enact key moments of the artist's life using the real voices of he and his famous friends), it gets tired pretty quickly. Visually, it's interesting, but with a voice cast that largely consists of musicians - not professional voice actors who can bring the emotion through their voice - and animation in LEGO that has fundamental limitations on conveying emotion, the film lacks a little bit of pathos.
There’s also questions about Williams’ story itself. There is no denying Pharrell is a wonderfully talented musician, but it does feel a little bit like there isn’t enough here to make a compelling doco about. The artist undoubtedly rose from obscurity, but some of the ‘challenges’ he has faced - particularly after achieving success - seem a bit conceited. It ultimately leads you to ask questions like ‘why does this film exist’.
The movie benefits from both Pharrel's amazing music and the list of hits that you probably never knew he had a hand in. That is indeed one of the most interesting parts of the movie; getting an inside look at some of these amazing radio bangers, and being able to reveal the hand Pharrell had in crafting them behind the scenes. But while that is of interest, you can never quite shake the feeling that this is a somewhat confusing biopic, that feels a little too childish to generate real feels, and a little too adult for the kids.
