Pharrell Williams Shares His Story "Piece by Piece"


Title: 
Piece by Piece

Director: Morgan Neville
Starring: Pharrell Williams
Studio: Focus Features

Genre(s): Documentary
Rated: PG (For language, some suggestive material and thematic elements)

It still feels like it was only yesterday that I walked out of "The LEGO® Movie" and proceeded to write what would be a very enthusiastic (as well as surprising) five-star review. Since then the LEGO® movie franchise essentially came to an end at Warner Bros. and plans were made to continue with Universal Pictures. Though I wasn't exactly sure what Universal meant when they said they were going to "reinvigorate the brand," apparently that meant using LEGO®'s to tell the story of Pharrell Williams. Yes, this is a real movie that I get to review for you. Is this clever storytelling or desperate re-branding?


To be honest, I'm not really sure. On one hand, it does have the direction of Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville ("Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and "20 Feet From Stardom"). On the other hand, it's got LEGO®'s in it. On one hand, Pharrell Williams is at the very least a compelling interviewer who has a story that is worth telling. On the other hand, it's got LEGO®'s in it. On one hand, the process of creating music is explained in a very articulate way. On the other hand...wait, no, this is where LEGO®'s being in the movie becomes a strength for the film.


Finally, I think it's going to be hard for "Piece by Piece" to shake the perception people have that this is nothing more than a promotional piece. In a sense, the skeptics will be right. Aside from a few moments where Pharrell discusses some low points in his life, the movie ignores the many lawsuits and controversies surrounding the singer. It paints a rosy picture of how he came up with the idea for his hit song "Happy," ignoring the fact that the singer produced songs for the first "Despicable Me" movie to make the moment seem more "magical" than it likely was in real life.


All that being said, the LEGO® gimmick is surprisingly effective when it comes to the sequences where Pharrell discusses making his music, as well as sequences where he discusses depression and his creative funk. I also give Morgan Neville a lot of credit for essentially making the film twice, as he had to film interviews with all of the people participating in the documentary and then figure out how to visualize those interviews with LEGO®'s in a way that could be compelling to a family audience (the movie is so concerned about the kids, that all that white smoke in Snoop Dogg's room is 'PG Spray' that comes from a can).


The end result is a mix between mass-family entertainment and a lite (but entertaining) puff piece. I don't believe "Piece by Piece" is a revolutionary film; to me, it comes off as a commercial on top of a commercial, with parent company Universal finding a way to advertise their various success stories in an inoffensive way. On the other hand...it IS clever! It IS the sort of outside-the-box thinking that should be applauded. And it DOES provide enough entertainment that whatever shortcomings it might have, it is at least worthy of a curiosity viewing if you are a fan of anything that is being tackled in it (just don't expect anything too deep).



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